Tag: preventing collisions at sea

According to Gard, on 22 September 2023, the China Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) issued two circulars addressing the prevention of collisions between commercial and fishing vessels in Chinese waters. These circulars specifically identify high-risk areas (HRAs) prone to such incidents and provide valuable guidance on collision prevention in these waters.

Hong Kong reminds Masters, coxswains and persons-in-charge of vessels to strictly comply with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 when navigating within Hong Kong waters, especially in poor visibility.

Warnings have been provided by the Fujian Province based Maritime Safety Agency (MSA) and Fujian Ocean and Fisheries Bureau (FOFB) regarding the risks of collision between commercial and fishing vessels in Fujian waters that include the ports of Ningde, Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen and Zhangzhou.

Dutch maritime research institute (MARIN) is working on solutions to avoid collisions between ships and the growing number of offshore wind turbines in the North Sea.

Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration issued details of the changes to shipping routes off the coast of the Zhejiang Province.

In view of the summer fishing ban lifting on 16 August, the Bahamas Maritime Authority shared recent guidelines to be issued by the China Maritime Safety Administration on the prevention of collisions between merchant ships and fishing vessels in Chinese coastal waters, including Taiwan Strait, East China Sea or Yellow Sea.

Human error has been a key area of concern for shipping as the major cause of navigation-related accidents, with 71 such occurrences recorded between 2015-2020, each incurring insurance claims of more than $10 million. Is human error in shipping navigation preventable?

A new report by ocean conservancy group Oceana identified up to 90% non-compliance of ships in mandatory speed zones and 85% in voluntary areas established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) along the US Atlantic coast, from 2017 to 2020.

As collisions and groundings in narrow passages, such as rivers, do not seem to decrease either in frequency or magnitude, the UK Club shared practical advice to both seafarers and shore side personnel, in order to prevent such incidents. 

Collisions between cargo ships and fishing vessels are a key area of concern in Japanese waters due to the large number of fishing vessels that operate in the region.