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LISCR: Detentions in the US increase

USCG has increased its scrutiny of pre-existing deficiencies The Republic of Liberia has issued Marine Advisory to warn on the increase of detentions in the USThe USCG has increased its scrutiny of pre-existing deficiencies that are not reported prior to a vessels arrival or at the time of initial port State boarding and where there is no evidence that corrective action has been initiated. The increased scrutiny is resulting in a significant increase in USCG detentions.If the USCG finds pre-existing deficiencies without first being notified by the Master and, if appropriate corrective action has not been initiated, they will assume the owner/Master intends to sail with the deficiencies un-addressed and will issue a detentionDetentions are avoidable, provided pre-existing deficiencies are reported and there is evidence that corrective action has been initiated. LISCR receive many pre-arrival check lists indicting all is in order, yet during PSC inspections equipment is not operating as required and such problems were preexisting and there is no evidence that corrective action has been taken.To avoid detention and delay of vessels schedule, LISCR advise owners, operators, DPA's to: Require Master's and crew to report all defective, inoperable equipment, system, etc., and ensure corrective action has been initiated, ...

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Paris MoU adopts new performance lists

New lists to take effect from 1 July 2015 At its 48th meeting last month, the Paris MoU Committee approved the 2014 inspection results and adopted new performance lists for flags and Recognized Organizations. These lists will take effect from 1 July 2015.The "White, Grey and Black (WGB) List" presents the full spectrum, from quality flags to flags with a poor performance that are considered high or very high risk. It is based on the total number of inspections and detentions over a 3-year rolling period for flags with at least 30 inspections in the period.On the "White, Grey and Black list" for 2014, a total number of 72 flags are listed: 43 on the "White List", 19 on the "Grey List" and 10 on the "Black list". In 2013 the number of flags listed totalled 75 flags, namely 46 on the "White List", 19 on the "Grey List" and 10 on the "Black List".The "White List" represents quality flags with a consistently low detention record. Compared with 2013, the number of flags on the "White List" has decreased by 3 flags to a total number of 43 flags. New on the "White List" is India, which was on the ...

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Top Cruise Ship Deficiencies of 2014

USCG reports a total of 329 deficiencies The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has issued the most common ship deficiencies found in cruise ships during inspections in 2014. In total, 329 deficiencies were reported.Fire Screen Doors not Operating Properly(31 occurrences) The most frequent deficiency was fire screen doors were not operating properly. Fire screen doors were found to have damage to the sequencing bars, damage to the doors themselves or pressure differential between spaces on either side of the door causing them not to close properly. The majority of these deficiencies were corrected prior to the examiners finishing their exams.Impeding Means of Escape(26 occurrences) Corridors, doors and hatches in areas designated as escape routes were either partially or completely blocked. The majority of these deficiencies were corrected prior to the examiners finishing their exams.Drills and Crew Training Issues(25 occurrences) Various deficiencies were issued for problems associated with crew training and drills. The deficiencies included crews inability to operate fire suppression systems, crew problems with operating lifeboats and rescue boats and crews inability to communicate effectively during fire and abandon ship drills. There were also deficiencies written for crews that did not have the required STCW training for Crowd Control Management and ...

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EMSA reports sulphur spot check results

  The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has reported on the results of spot checks on vessels, testing their compliance with new EU regulations concerning the sulphur content of fuel. A total of 1,458 vessels operating in European waters between January and April 2015 were spot checked, and 90 vessels (6%) were found to be non-compliant with the new regulations. The reasons for the vessels’ non-compliance included: keeping inaccurate records or having incorrect processes, being unable to produce satisfactory fuel samples, and having fuel in tank with a sulphur content above 0.1%.   As of 1st January 2015, vessels operating in EU Sulphur Emission Control Areas, or SECA (including the North Sea, Baltic Sea, North American coastal areas and the US Caribbean Sea), are required by EU law to burn fuel with a maximum sulphur content of 0.1%, a reduction from 1%. The EU requires member states to conduct spot checks on a minimum of 10% of ships in its waters in 2015, although several states exceed this and test up to 20%. Ship owners and operators should be aware that these spot checks are taking place, and ensure that all their vessels are fully compliant. Barry Newton, Managing Director ...

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Indian Ocean MoU issues Annual Report 2014

A total of 6059 inspections were carried out in 2014 The Indian Ocean Memorandum of Understanding (IOMOU) issued its Annual Report for the year 2014.The report summarizes the port State control (PSC) performed by the IOMOU member Authorities based on various ship types, flag States and Recognised Organizations. Apart from general information, this report provides the outcome of the results of PSC inspections undertaken by individual member Authority during the year 2014.In addition, this report also includes statistics and analysis on the results of inspections carried out by the member Authorities during the year 2014.Key PSC data A total of 6059 inspections were carried out in 2014. Out of these 6059 inspections, 3469 inspections had deficiencies and the total numbers of deficiencies were 16856.Serious deficiencies noted by PSCOs led to the detention of 379 ships. The detentions allow for the rectification of the serious deficiencies prior to the ships departure; the overall detention percentage for the year is 6.26%.There is increase in total number of inspections in 2014, compared with those in 2013; whereas, the detention percentage decreased from 7.07% recorded in 2013.The average number of deficiencies per inspection in 2014 (2.78) has slightly increased compared to the previous year ...

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Skuld advises on the increase of MLC related PSC inspections and detentions

Skuld stresses the importance of shiponwers on the MLC compliance The Skuld P&I Club has issued a loss prevention article to advise on the increase of MLC related inspections and detentions.MLC inspections are conducted by local Port State Control including on foreign flagged ships in their national territories to verify ships are properly manned, equipped and operated in accordance with international conventions and regulations.There are 14 key areas which are checked by PSC and which have, to a certain degree, already led to vessels being detained, as per the chart below.This Figure is courtesy of DNV GLThe most frequent deficiencies resulted in detentions are:non- payment of wagesmanning levelshealth and accident preventionhours of work and restfood and cateringaccommodationThe Skuld advises shipowners to be aware that whenever they will call at a port of a country that has ratified the MLC, the Convention will apply. That means local PSC may come on board and carry out an inspection, and should deficiencies be noted, action is very likely to follow. Fines and even bans may be imposed , therefore, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the MLC's requirements as well as having a clear company policy for practical compliance. This ...

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Skuld review of Riyadh MoU CIC on fire safety systems and USCG observations

Riyadh MoU from 1 October to 31 December 2014 addresses compliance with SOLAS II-2 and FSS Code Fire safety systems and the state of fire fighting equipment on board vessels have been the subject of both a Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) by the Riyadh MoU this year, as well as commentary by the US Coast Guard. The Skuld P&I Club gives an overview of these current CIC as well as loss prevention advice to operators for fire safety onbaord. Fire fighting at seaThucydides has been reputed to have said, "A collision at sea can ruin your entire day", but he may have expanded on this to add that a fire at sea is the worst day of them all.It may seem paradoxical to a lay person that a vessel surrounded by water should fear fire, but every seafarer knows that fires on board ships can be very difficult and quickly lead to very tragic consequences. A situation the Association is very keenly familiar with following the events on the MS Scandinavian Star in 1990.Port State Control authorities take the matter of fire safety on board vessels very seriously, and it is therefore not surprising to see developments in this regard ...

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Robots take over inspection of ballast tanks on ships

The University of Twente is one of a number of partners in the region around the border between Germany and the Netherlands that have contributed to a project to develop a robot for inspecting ballast tanks on board ships. The robot is able to move independently along rails built into the tanks. At the moment, people still carry out such inspections, with ships being brought into dry dock for the purpose. The costs can rise to € 700,000 per inspection. The RoboShip project offers great advantages, not only in terms of cost but also in terms of safety. RoboShip is an independent, intelligent robotic platform on rails for use within the shipping industry. The parties involved in the RoboShip project brought together a number of innovations in it. Imotect, for example, developed a smart, cost-efficient rail, while DFKI was responsible for an autonomous vehicle to run along the rails. Incas³ developed the sensors, Xsens developed the tank navigation system, and the University of Twente was responsible for ensuring that a thorough inspection of the ballast water tanks is carried out using the equipment. The Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany has now also joined the project and will be integrating RoboShip ...

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