Tag: safe navigation

Ship groundings and collisions still occur with depressing regularity, and are often attributed to errors in navigation. In the UK P&I Club's latest LookOut, Risk Assessor David Nichol, highlights some of the contributory factors and suggests steps to ensure navigational safety.

The captain of the Dutch motor vessel 'Ruyter' that ran aground at Rathlin Island has been fined £1,000 at Armagh Magistrate’s Court, after pleading guilty to failing to keep a proper look out. 

The latest issue of the Navigator, a free publication by The Nautical Institute in association with the Royal Institute of Navigation, explores what is involved in being and working with a Pilot. Most pilotage areas have an increased risk of groundings and collisions, which is why having a Pilot on board is mandatory.

The Shipowners Club informed that it has recently recorded several collision incidents in the narrow channels and bends of the Hidrovía, South America, due to wrong position of the vessels whilst performing passing manoeuvres. 

Operations at the Port of Durban have partially recovered, following the inclement weather conditions that caused disruption this week, according to South Africa's Transnet National Ports Authority.

As explained, there have been a significant number of collisions where subsequent investigations have found that at some stage before impact, one or both parties were using VHF radio in an attempt to avoid collision. The use of VHF radio in these circumstances is not always helpful and may even prove to be dangerous.

As October is national cyber security awareness month, the US Coast Guard informed that, in partnership with industry associations, class societies, and other Flag States, worked through IMO to develop Guidelines on Maritime Cyber Risk Management, and a subsequent Resolution Maritime Cyber Risk Management in SMS.

The US Coast Guard issued a safety alert to address concerns related to vessel stability and watertight integrity, in the light of a recent marine casualty in the Bering Sea resulting in multiple fatalities and complete loss of the fishing vessel involved.

StormGeo’s Tropical Cyclone track uses multi-model ensembles and advanced analysis to narrow the “cone of uncertainty,” the area extending out from a storm on a forecasting map that projects a cyclone’s path.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau issued an investigation report on the grounding of a products and chemical tanker in the port of Philip, Victoria, in August 2016, highlighting the importance of a well-formulated maintenance plan for safe navigation.