EMSA released its annual review of maritime casualties reporting a total of 3,301 occurrences through 2017. The report reveals that the number of very serious casualties has continuously decreased since 2014 with 74 reported in 2017. A total of 61 people were injured and 61 ships were lost. During the 2011-2017 period, 405 accidents led to a total of 683 lives lost, which represents a significant decrease since 2015.
According to the World Bank report 2019 on Ease of Doing Business, India has jumped 23 ranks from 100 in 2017-18 to 77 in 2018-19. This indicates that the country is continuing its shift towards global standards. The report mentions that this improvement is mainly because of India’s reform agenda.
Powering European ships with batteries, hydrogen or ammonia will decarbonise the fleet and require only half the amount of renewable electricity that less efficient solutions like synthetic methane or synthetic diesel will need, noted Transport & Environment in a new report revealing a Roadmap to Decarbonising European Shipping.
Maritime UK has launched an updated version of the industry Code of Practice for autonomous ships. The updated version adds new guidance on the operation of autonomous ships, with a particular focus on skills, training and vessel registration.
In its latest edition of ‘The Navigator’, The Nautical Institute explores the importance for ship navigators of always keeping a good lookout by all available means, while maintaining focus and alertness. The most critical piece of equipment on the ship bridge is seafarers’ own eyes. Unfortunately this is not always the case, and when a lookout is not maintained, bad things can happen.
IEA published the World Energy Outlook 2018, which includes global energy trends and their possible impacts on supply and demand, carbon emissions, air pollution, and energy access. With today’s policies, WEO’s New Policies Scenario says that energy demand will rise by more than 25% to 2040.
ISWAN, ICS and InterManager launched a new guidance for shipping companies and manning agents, on dealing with situations involving missing seafarers. The guidance covers managing relationships onboard, actions that should be taken, and managing relationships with the families of seafarers who have gone missing.
The UK’s petroleum reserves, including discovered and undiscovered petroleum resources, remain at a significant level, ranging from 10 to 20 billion barrels plus of oil equivalent, which could sustain production for at least the next 20 years and beyond if additional undeveloped resources can be matured, according to new figures by the UK Oil and Gas Authority (OGA).
The NTSB issued its ‘Safer Seas’ annual report providing an overview of key lessons to be learned from the most major maritime casualties, noting that many of the issues noted in last year’s reports were recurring topics, such as fatigue, poor bridge resource management, and distraction. The 41 marine accidents resulted in loss of life, injuries, and significant property damage.
USCG announced that the Marine Safety Center published an updated Plan Review Guidelines and Design Verification Guidelines, regarding: GEN 05 – ‘Stability Test Procedures’. This Plan Review Guideline provides guidance and information for carrying out successful stability test and submitting stability test procedures.
