The Australian Government issued the “Special Recreational Vessels Bill 2019”, according to which foreign-owned superyachts will be able to charter in Australia, leading to 11,800 new jobs and A$1.64 billion in revenue to the Australian economy by 2021.
UK MAIB has published its report on the UK registered charter yacht, Tyger of London, whose keel failed suddenly on 7 December 2017 and the yacht capsized. The crew, all wearing lifejackets, were thrown into the water and rescued by the British Army yacht, St Barbara V.
With respect to the recent figures on boating safety, Maritime NZ stressed that waterproof communications can save a life: An estimated 59% of recreational boating fatalities involve inadequate communications, and only 40% of boaties report having two ways to call for help every time they go on the water.
Most recreational boaties in New Zealand continue to be highly safety conscious when they go on the water, but 20% still report that they wear a lifejacket either never, not very often or only some of the time, according to figures released by Maritime New Zealand on the occasion of Safer Boating Week.
Engineers from MAN, Braemar Technical Services along with additional four maritime companies are developing a zero-emissions superyacht, which will consist of an all-of-the-above selection of green technology. The team behind this, look towards a zero emissions upon weight savings.
Transport Malta issued a report on a garage fire onboard the yacht ‘MY Kanga’ while at anchor off Croatia, in September 2018. The investigation concluded that in all probability, the seat of the fire was the Lithium-ion batteries. Transport Malta recommended a review of the Commercial Yacht Code of 2015.
CHIRP recently published its 56th edition of Maritime Feedback focusing on several reports concerning safety onboard and accidents. In this report, CHIRP highlights the dangers crews face onboard yachts, given the fact that the majority of yachts are focused on an aesthetically good architecture but lack safety measures.
On July 24, the superyacht Blue Magic hit a pier at the port of Santa Maria di Leuca, Italy, after losing control. Before the yacht hit the pier, it first collided with a sailing yacht, which was eventually crushed between the dock and the Magic’s bow. When the collision happened, the sailing boat did not have anyone on board, and no injuries were reported.
The Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry Torbjørn Røe initiated an action plan last January to reduce the number of serious accidents related with the use of recreational craft. The government has a zero-accidents vision for boat traffic. In addition to the zero vision, an ambitious milestone for the first period has been set: 50% reduction in the number of fatalities associated with use of recreational craft before the end of the planning period.
Voyager Maritime Alliance Group (VMAG) announced the completion of the biggest project in their 30-year history, the largest superyacht conversion to ever occur in the US. The ‘Big Project’ converted an ex-offshore supply vessel to a superyacht.
