Tag: life-saving equipment

The Maritime Authorities of the Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control for West and Central African region (Abuja MoU) carried out a Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on LifeSaving Appliances from 1 September 2018 to 30 November 2018. 611 Port State inspections were carried out and no ship was detained due to the campaign.  

The US Coast Guard responded to a report of four people in the water after two vessels collided near Baptiste Collette Bayou, Louisiana, on January 16. The boat is now half sunken in Baptiste Collete Bayou outside the channel waiting for salvage. Namely, a 40-foot commercial deck boat with eight people aboard collided with a 24-foot bay boat with four people aboard.

The semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit ‘Ocean Ranger’ off Canada, sank along with its entire 84 crew, claiming the title of one of the worst offshore drilling accidents in North American history. The incident forms another example of how lack of compliance with procedures and inadequate safety culture can have tragic consequences.

According to the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, the boating year 2018 continued until late autumn and claimed the lives of 51 boaters. The accidents followed a pattern of a small boat, older man and cottage shore. The renewed Water Transport Act now gives more emphasis on life vests and other floating equipment.

Maritime NZ, New Zealand's shipping safety agency, released drowning statistics related to recreational boating, noting a significant progress with only four boating fatalities in 2018 compared to previous years. The agency provided simple advice for boaties to help keep that number down.

As part of its safety investigation on the sinking of the scallop dredger 'Solstice' with one fatality in September 2017, the UK MAIB issued a safety flyer for the fishing industry to share lessons learned from the casualty which raised poor stability concerns for fishing vessels. 

In its latest Maritime Safety video, CHIRP highlights the dangerous practice of fishermen of not wearing lifejackets and discussing the possible tragic consequences in overboard incidents. The report advises that all fishermen should take their personal safety into account by conducting a (dynamic) risk assessment into the possibility of falling overboard.

A PSC inspection resulting to useful case studies and/ or lessons learned for ship operators, aims to pave the way for improvement. The global PSC system includes many different regions (9 MoUs and USCG), facilitating PSCOs to shed their focus on different levels of PSC and sub-standard items all over the world.

In its latest Safety Digest, UK MAIB analyzed an accident concerning an open boat that was upturned in the sea. The skipper was fortunate enough to escape without using a life vessel, although he was not wearing his lifejacket, as he was carrying a waterproof mobile phone. MAIB highlighted that automatic cut-offs and other such devices should be properly maintained and tested in order to be efficient. 

On the occasion of the conclusion of New Zealand’s national Safer Boating Week on 19 October, Maritime NZ reiterated to skippers the importance of always ensuring that there is the right size of lifejackets for everyone onboard. Last year, 19 people died in recreational boating accidents on NZ waters.