Tag: UK Club

Claims relating to damage to dock walls, quay sides and other port facilities The UK P&I Club provides information for port damage claims in South America as follows:It has come to the attention of the Club that claims relating to damage to dock walls, quay sides and other port facilities are on the increase.Recently, one of the Club's Members was issued with a Letter of Protest in a port in Chile for causing damage to a pier whilst coming alongside.It was apparent to the Master of the vessel that the damage was not caused by his vessel, the quayside being generally in a bad state of repair in various locations.It was noted on this particular occasion that the fenders, used truck tyres, were inadequate to handle such a large vessel and that the swell inside the port was considerable. The port did not have adequate protection from a long Pacific swell.Another worrying fact in this case was that the LOP was issued to the vessel, not on arrival at the time of the alleged damage, but only 15 minutes prior to departure, leaving the Master with very little option but to sign for receipt of the LOP.In cases where the ...

Information by the UK P&I Club Club Members are expressing concern over requirements for cadets, supernumeraries and supercargoes onboard to possess a valid visa when visiting Nigerian Ports. Members with vessels frequently trading to Nigeria say that it is difficult to obtain such visas, imposes substantial administrative problems and is not viable for vessels in worldwide trade.Fines of US$ 2000 per infringement are being charged to vessels allegedly due to non-compliance with visa regulations (relevant regulations can be found at )Immigration authorities' recognise cadets, supernumeraries and supercargoes to be classified as passengers and as such require valid entry visas.In recent incidents Immigration officers are very actively scrutinising crew contracts, seaman's discharge books, passports and Certificates of Competencies to look for any minor discrepancy for which they impose the fine of US$ 2000.It is also noted that the level of compliance to these regulations and the fines imposed by the Immigration officials may vary between differing immigration Officers.Source: The UK P&I Club

Information by the UK P&I Club Over the last 8 years deficiencies related to structural safety and load lines account for 15% of the total number of deficiencies found in the Paris MOU region. With this in mind the Paris & Tokyo MOU have conjoined to take part in a joint concentrated inspection campaign (CIC)Structural safety for ship types other than bulk carriers and compliance with the Load Line Convention in general have never been addressed with the special attention typical for a CIC.The Paris MOU and Tokyo MOU will be joined by the members of the Viña del Mar Agreement, the Indian Ocean MOU, the Mediterranean MOU and the Black Sea MOU who will follow the same routine during the campaign. This means this concentrated inspection campaign will be in force in some form or another almost world wide. The only regions not covered will be the West African states, The United States and some Caribbean Islands (excepting of course those countries which are not party to any MOU regarding Port state control)This inspection campaign will begin 1 SEPTEMBER 2011 and will run for 3 months, ending on 30 November 2011. The focus of Port State Control Officers (PSCOs) ...

It will take effect on August 1, 2011 On 8 April 2011 the Ministry of Environmental Protection along with other Chinese Governmental bodies issued an order to implement the Regulation of Managing Importation of Solid Waste (hereafter refer to as the Regulation) which will take effect as of August 1, 2011. Below is a summary of the main contents of the Regulation related to shipping carriers.The import of solid waste refers to the import of Waste into Mainland China (including waste shipments from Macao Hong Kong and Taiwan) (Article 54)According to the regulation solid waste is divided into three categories;1.Import-forbidden solid waste2.Import-restricted solid waste 3.Automatic-licensing import solid waste.The lists of these solid wastes have been published and are updated by the government. For up to date lists it is advised that Members contact their local Chinese agent.Although the title of the Regulation refers to solid waste the Regulation also applies to semi-solid waste, liquid waste and gas waste (Article 2). Transhipment of waste via Chinese ports is forbidden (Article 5). Transferable or to order Bills of Lading of imported solid waste are forbidden (Article 8).It is stipulated that Members vessels carrying imported solid waste shall request the following FOUR certificates ...

The UK P&I Club issues Bulletin 772 Incidents of Piracy have been reported in the regions surrounding Puerto la Cruz & Barcelona City anchorages off the north coast of Venezuela. We understand support in such circumstances is limited.Vessels awaiting a berth in Jose or another oil terminal in the area are requested, by the Port Authority to proceed to the anchorage in the vicinity of Barcelona City. It is advised that if possible ships do not anchor here but instead anchor in the Bahia de Pozuelos, in the area of Puerto la Cruz city.It has been reported that in the anchorage off Barcelona City bandits climb aboard the vessels at anchor. These bandits take advantage of the darkness of the night, lack of vigilance, and that the area is away from any population, harbour and naval bases.There have already been cases in which the crews have been gagged, threatened with high calibre weapons and crewmembers have been beaten.We understand that these bandits are armed and extremely violent. It is considered that they are willing in to kill in order to get what they want.Suggested actions are:1)Always anchor in the Bahia de Pozuelos, near the site of Guaraguao, in front of ...

The need to comply with the SMS procedures of the vessel The UK P&I Club has been made aware of an increasing number of human errors resulting in injury that have been made public. A case highlighting this problem was brought to the Club's attention and involved a senior crew member falling in a cargo hold and sustaining severe injuries from which he later died in hospital. Other cases brought to our attention involve falls in the engine room, collisions due to distractions on the Bridge and accidents during mooring operations. This latter case is of particular concern considering the Club's recent publication of Risk Focus: Mooring the aim of which is to highlight such dangers and claim areas. In the past two years alone the United States Coast Guard (USCG) has investigated two deaths and nine injuries related to mooring line handling.All of these cases were avoidable. Through the proper adoption of and full compliance with the vessel's Safety Management System (SMS) these accidents could have been avoided. The SMS should be a core feature of a vessel's efforts to instil and enhance the safety culture on board.Points raised from recent incidents include: Distractions of watchkeepers from mobile phones ...

Bulletin 769- 06/11 by UK P&I Club The UK P&I Club issued Bulletin 769- 06/11 for the hidden dangers of Log Cargoes worldwide.Log cargoes are prone to decomposition whilst en route. The process of decomposition results in a depletion of oxygen in the surrounding area. When this occurs in a ships hold a dangerously low O2 atmosphere is created in the hold. This is the hidden danger of carrying log cargoes.This is precisely what befell two Korean seamen on board a vessel moored at Port Marsden, Wellington New Zealand last May. The vessel was ill prepared to carry logs as it was found after investigation that the crew were unaware of the dangers of carrying logs, had no rescue training and lacked basic emergency skills.The chief officer lost consciousness while he was climbing into the ship's hold and fell from the ladder onto the logs below. The crew member who tried to save him also passed out, fell and died within minutes.It was later discovered that the sailors were killed by a lack of oxygen and the presence of toxic gases caused by the organic decomposition of logs. The Oxygen levels in the hold were between 1% ~ 3% low ...

Bulletin 768 - 06/11 by UK P&I Club The UK P&I Club issued Bulletin 768 for container floor loadings limitations.The Association has been advised that shipping lines are currently seeing an increasing number of damages to wood floors and understructures of ISO Containers.One reason for this is the fact that the quality of the wood for container floors (although still in line with ISO requirements) seems to be deteriorating in new build containers.The main reason for these damages, however, is the fact that very often too heavy concentrated cargoes (not properly distributed over a wider surface area) are being loaded into the container and/or the use of forklift equipment for loading and unloading the cargo in the container that are too heavy.This mishandling could potentially result in both the risk of damage to cargo and handling equipment but first and foremost in the threat of personal injuries on the part of the people involved in the process of (un)loading the containers.The load/carrying capabilities of a container floor/understructure are limited to the below:Limitation for concentrated Loads on regular wood floor containerA maximum floor load is 4.5 tons per running meter for a 20 container and 3.0 tons per running meter for ...

The stability of a vessel is of paramount concern The stability of a vessel is of paramount concern in regard to the safety of the vessel. The earliest regulatory recognition of this can be traced to before Samuel Plimsoll in the 1860's. Times have moved on and stability regulations have come on a long way but the concern remains high.Only as recent as last year 44 seafarers lost their lives in three separate incidents where vessels carrying ore cargoes capsized and sank. In each case the vessels had loaded ore cargoes which were declared as Group "C""Group C consists of cargoes which are neither liable to Liquefy (Group A) nor posses chemical hazards (Group B)." IMSBC Code, 1.7.14.It is widely accepted that the cause of each accident was that the cargoes had in fact liquefied and caused a loss of stability resulting in total loss. Quite clearly these cargoes were Group A cargoes."Group A consists of cargoes which may liquefy if shipped at a moisture content in excess of their transportable moisture limit." IMSBC code, 1.7.12In order that ALL parties can make the correct decisions in regard to how best to handle, load and ship these cargoes it is imperative ...

They cut off fuel supply to an engine in times of emergency UK P&I Club issued Bulletin 765-05/11 for fuel oil quick closing valves as follows:Quick closing valves are an essential safety component in a vessels power plant. They cut off fuel supply to an engine in times of emergency. These valves ensure that an engine room fire remains small and controllable and have saved many vessels in the past. It is then regrettable that due to poor maintenance or wilful neglect that these valves are being used incorrectly. InspectionAfter recognising an increase in the number of deficiencies on inspected vessels the United States Coast Guard (USCG) has increased its vigilance in its inspection regime in this area. The USCG had found numerous cases where Quick Closing Valves (QCV) were poorly maintained, modified in some way or intentionally blocked. The USCG is tasking a dim view in these circumstances and Members should expect their vessels to be rebuked either through the nomination of deficiencies or through fines. Also this may induce the USCG to closer scrutiny of the vessel.DeficienciesIntentionally blocked valves shows a wilful disregard to safety and is counter to any safety culture a company is trying to build.Modified ...