Tag: West of England Club

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Ballasting while Loading or Discharging from Barges

The West of England P&I club- Safety Alert The West of England P&I Club has experienced a number of cases recently where dry bulk products stowed inside barges made fast to the ship have been damaged by ballast water. Incidents of this type may lead to significant cargo claims and are almost always avoidable.On two occasions the vessels concerned were discharging into barges and ballasting simultaneously. During the ballasting operation the double bottom tanks were flooded and water overflowed on to the main deck.The water then drained away via the overboard scuppers and into the open holds of barges moored alongside. In another case, topside wing tank drop valves were opened without the operator recognising that the overboard discharge was situated above an uncovered barge.Although shouting from the barge personnel resulted in the valves being closed again shortly afterwards, the damage had already been done.For more information, click here.Source: The West Of England P&I Club

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Monkey’s Fists on Heaving Lines – Use of Inappropriate Weighting Material

The West of England P&I club- Safety Alert In the past it was not uncommon for seafarers to weight monkey's fists fitted to the end of heaving lines with pieces of scrap metal or sand, or to attach a heavy item such as a shackle, so that the line would travel a greater distance when thrown. This practice is no longer acceptable as it increases the risk of serious injury if a linesman, shore worker or a crewmember aboard a tug or mooring boat is struck by such an object during mooring operations, or if the weighted end hits a member of the vessel's mooring party when the heaving line is thrown back.The United Kingdom Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) publication "Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seamen", Section 25.3.2, states that "Vessel's heaving lines should be constructed with a "monkey's fist" at one end. To prevent personal injury, the "fist" should be made only with rope and should not contain added weighting material".If a weighted heaving line is used, the monkey's fist or additional weight risks being cut off by the linesmen or the tug crew before the heaving line is returned to the vessel. Moreover, some ports ...

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West of England P&I Club: South Africa – Stowaways – Update

Vessels are advised to ensure that the crew is particularly alert to this risk In the past month the West of England P&I Club has experienced a number of cases involving stowaways boarding vessels in Durban, South Africa. Members with vessels on passage to Durban or other ports in South Africa are advised to ensure that the crew is particularly alert to this risk.In one recent incident, stowaways managed to bypass a locked gate in an underdeck passage on a container vessel by climbing through a cable run in the adjacent transverse frame, even though the gap between the cables and steel frame measured only 17 cms. In another case, a stowaway hid inside a crane pedestal.According to Club correspondents P&I Associates in Durban, the majority of stowaways are Tanzanian nationals who have entered South Africa illegally. However, nationals from Mozambique, Kenya and other countries in Central and West Africa may also be encountered.Unless already required by the Ship Security Plan, P&I Associates recommend that vessels take further action as follows:Keep a deck watch forward and aft as many of the stowaways in the recent past have advised they climbed up a mooring line at night to board the vessel. ...

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Revised Recommendations For Entering Enclosed Spaces

Revised recommendations update and expand previous guidance The West of England P&I Club issues Revised Recommendations for Entering Enclosed Spaces aboard Ships as follows:On 30 November 2011 the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) adopted Resolution A.1050(27) "Revised Recommendations for Entering Enclosed Spaces Aboard Ships". The revised recommendations replace Resolution A.864(20) published in 1997.Changes in the Revised Recommendations for Entering Enclosed Spaces aboard ShipsThe revised recommendations update and expand the previous guidance and include a number of changes as follows:Section 2 - DefinitionsTwo new definitions have been included in the guidelines for an "adjacent connected space" and an "Attendant". An "adjacent connected space" is defined as "a normally unventilated space which is not used for cargo but which may share the same atmospheric characteristics with the enclosed space such as, but not limited to, a cargo space accessway". An "Attendant" is defined as "a person who is suitably trained within the safety management system, maintains a watch over those entering the enclosed space, maintains communications with those inside the space and initiates the emergency procedures in the event of an incident occurring". Section 3 - Safety Management for Entry into Enclosed SpacesThis section is new and reads as follows:"The safety strategy to ...

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Carriage of Weapons, Ammunition and Armed Guards on vessels within Egyptian waters

Updates by West of England P&I Club The West of England P&I Club has recently been advised by Egyptian Marine Insurance Consultations and Services (EMICS), Alexandria of a further change in the regulatory requirements governing the carriage of weapons, ammunition and armed guards on vessels within Egyptian waters.A free translation of the new requirements is reproduced below for guidance:The Egyptian Government forbids the presence of any weapons / armed guards on board commercial vessels as per the rules and regulations of the International Maritime Organisation.In the case of the presence of weapons on board commercial vessels calling at Egyptian ports, Masters shall lock the weapons in a safe compartment and issue a certificate regarding these weapons and deliver it to the pilot in the waiting area. The certificate shall include a confirmation from the Master that weapons will be delivered to Port Police Forces once berthed to be locked ashore after being inspected by the Port Police Forces and will be returned to the vessel before departing the port.If the above regulations are not adopted, the vessel will not be permitted to enter the port.In the case of vessels transiting the Suez Canal, the Port Police Forces will receive the ...

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USA – California Sewage No Discharge Zone

New regulations to become mandatory from mid-March 2012 On 9 February 2012 the Final Rule establishing the California No Discharge Zone (NDZ) was signed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Final Rule will enter into force 30 days after being published in the Federal Register. It is expected that the new regulations will become mandatory from mid-March 2012 although an exact date has not yet been advised by the EPA.The new regulations will prohibit the discharge of treated and untreated sewage in an area along the California coast from the Oregon border to the Mexican border within California marine waters extending seawards a distance of three nautical miles from the baseline as determined by the Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, and within all tidal enclosed bays and estuaries. The existing California NDZs covering ten bays and marinas remain in effect. The EPA has published a map showing the areas concerned.Foreign flag and United States flagged vessels are affected as follows:Large Passenger Vessels of 300 GT of over, which have berths or overnight accommodation for passengers.Large Oceangoing Vessels of 300 GT or over, including military, governmental, commercial and private vessels, which are equipped with ...

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Cargo unsafe for carriage

The West of England P&I Club issues Safety Alert re cargo liquefaction The West of England P&I Club issues Safety Alert regarding cargo not being safe for carriage due the possibility of liquefaction as follows:The Managers are aware of a number of cases where Members have been offered bulk cargoes of zinc concentrate from Bar, Montenegro for discharge in China.However, tests of the material have found that the cargo is not safe for carriage due the possibility of liquefaction. Zinc concentrate is a Group A product which is listed in the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code under the schedule for "Mineral Concentrates".The material from Bar, which has been variously described to potential carriers as zinc oxide, zinc ore and pyrites, is the by-product of a zinc processing plant in Kosovo which has been dumped in large spoil heaps over the years. Previously the product was unwanted as it was uneconomic to process it further.However, high metal prices and improved extraction methods have led to material from the spoil heaps being purchased for shipment. The spoil heaps have never been protected from precipitation and tests in the past have shown the material to have a moisture content of up ...

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Environmental Pollution Fines in Turkey

Information provided by the West of Engalnd P&I Club The West of England P&I Club continues to encounter instances of vessels being fined in Turkish waters for pollution by substances other than oil. Section 8 of the Turkish Environmental Code 1983 states (in part) that:"It is prohibited, to introduce into, store in, transport to or remove from the receptor area any discharge or waste in such a way as to inflict damage on the environment or in a way directly or indirectly in contradiction with the standards and methods specified in the pertinent regulations, or to engage in similar activities".This provision is widely interpreted and rigorously enforced, to the extent that vessels have even been fined for pumping out clean ballast water. Ships at anchor off Istanbul are monitored particularly closely.Fines are imposed in accordance with a published tariff, which is revised annually. The amount of the fine is determined by the size of the vessel and the type of pollutant, rather than the quantity of pollutant. In almost all cases the fine must be paid in cash. The amount may be reduced by 25% if either settled immediately, prior to the vessel sailing or within a maximum of 30 ...

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