Tag: safety measures

Challenges faced and Lessons to be learned Confidential Hazardous Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP) has received a report related to onboard communications.Report text:"The company employs British masters and I had a good, mixed complement of nine nationalities. I, as master, was the only Brit onboard. Fortunately for us Brits, English remains the language of the sea and my senior officers all spoke it to a greater or lesser degree, even some conversation, while I learned helm orders and a few other important words, l i k e Please and Thank You , etc in other languages."Conducting the required monthly safety meetings was interesting. The second mate and I devised a pantomime, which we would put on to the assembled crew - all hands not on duty - in the crew mess room. Many shipboard accidents are caused by thoughtlessness - leaving a bucket of water near the foot of a ladder, not changing a lamp bulb properly, not roping off newly painted or dangerous places, leaving bits of wood, shackles, all kinds of spare parts lying around the deck for people to trip over - not checking that a lifeboat is safe to lower before you lower it - and so ...

CHIRP has received a report related to garbage disposal

Challenges faced and Lessons to be learned Confidential Hazardous Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP) has received a report related to overtaking.Report text:"Vessel was navigating in the Dover Straits; I observed on radar a vessel on my port quarter at a distance of 4.0 nm. I began plotting using ARPA; CPA was 0.0nm. I continued plotting and when it seemed no action was being taken I tried to call on DSC 70 and got no response. At a distance of 1.5nm I managed to contact the vessel, but the OOW told me that I had to alter course to starboard so he could overtake and he would alter course in 10 mins at his waypoint. I told him he had an obligation to me to alter course as he was the overtaking vessel. I then tried to contact Gris Nez Traffic on VHF 13, but then the OOW on the other vessel came on the radio and said he was overtaking and would be clear in 10 mins!!! At this point I had no choice, but to put my helm hard to starboard to avoid a collision. Another near-miss in the Dover Strait by another seemingly inexperienced OOW, with no regard for ...

CHIRP has received a report related to a near grounding occurrence of two container ships.

CHIRP has received a report related to fatigue on tugs

Challenges faced and Lessons to be learned Confidential Hazardous Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP) has received a report related to security/emergency escape conflict.Report Text:"I would like to bring to your attention an issue which many people appear to be overlooking."The problems with emergency escapes and security are well and frequently documented, and in the main I would agree with your comments."However, most people appear to be concerned with emergency exit only, and in my opinion they seem to be forgetting emergency entry."I am an ISPS and ISM auditor and have conducted many ISPS audits over the past 18 months. All too frequently I am seeing all exits from the engine room (for example) secured from the inside, allowing emergency escape. Should the shore based fire services, or indeed an on-board fire party, need to access the engine room from a particular point for cooling or rescue purposes, they would often find that they can not."Many ships are now considering this issue and are providing means of securing from both sides that neither hinder emergency escape nor authorised emergency entry (mechanical key-pads, removable hasps etc.)"It may be worth making this point clear.There are 2 effective methods that I could cite:Removable hasps on ...

Challenges faced and Lessons to be learned Confidential Hazardous Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP) has received a report related to a near-miss occurence, involving three large container vessels.Report Text:"I was approaching the E bound lane of the TSS and observed a very near-miss involving three large container vessels; two were about to join the east bound lane and the third had left the west bound lane and altered course to the south. There were several exchanges between these vessels on VHF Ch. 16; on the radar screen it looked like a collision had occurred and on the AIS the range and bearing of two of ships was the same!! After several more VHF exchanges the southbound ship apologised."I have never seen anything as close yet as these 3 large container vessels.CHIRP CommentThe following account of the incident was received from the managers:Incident occurred during morning watch, while transiting the west bound TSS, en-route to XXX. As the vsl was delayed in her ETA, course had been charted to alter south and cross the TSS earlier. At the time of commencing alteration to port to cross the TSS, A observed B on her stbd bow, in the Northeast bound TSS.Close on B's ...

ClassNK has released the latest version of its Guidelines for Floating Offshore Facilities

CHIRP has received a report related to a near collision occurrence

CHIRP has received a report related to the use of the Dover Strait DWR