During the last boating season, the US Coast Guard received an increased number of reports of incidents from recreational boaters where infant lifejackets did not perform as expected in the water. Investigations revealed no findings of non-conformance or manufacturing defects.
V360 Marine has created a VR kit pre-loaded with a specific training programme for the marine and yachting industries. The kit includes generic and ship specific modules, which can be tailored to each crew and vessel. Namely, a database gathers all the data generated during the training, in order to conclude to an in-depth profile of each of the crew.
On April 16, the County and Derecktor Shipyards announced that they signed a long-term agreement for the development and operation of a megayacht maintenance, repair and refit facility at the Port Of Ft. Pierce, Florida. The new shipyard will be the first facility in the US designed and built specifically to accommodate power and sailing yachts in the 200 ft. plus range.
In view of the upcoming Easter holidays, Maritime New Zealand reiterated the need for boaties to plan ahead and factor in the dangers posed by cold water and air temperatures, noting that survival times are reduced in the cold and boaties need to know the weather conditions before they hit the water.
The huge sailing yacht ‘Black Pearl’ made headlines in recent months, not only for claiming the title of the largest sailing superyacht in the world, but also for featuring hybrid propulsion system and waste heat recovery. Analysts suggest the development of the Black Pearl reflects a growing trend for large yachts to be greener.
In light of the Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE 6) meeting conducted by IMO’s Sub-Committee on 4-8 March 2019, the participants agreed to draft interim guidelines on life-saving appliances and arrangements for ships operating in polar waters, to ensure they meet the needs for survival in the harsh and specific conditions in Polar waters.
A German yachtsman was knocked overboard in bad weather seas off New Zealand, when he decided to use his jeans to save his life, Reuters reports. The yachtsman managed to transform his pair of jeans into a life jacket that kept him afloat for more than three hours before being rescued by the coast guard.
IMO’s Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC 6), which took place on 4-8 February 2019, considered a first set of draft recommendations for fishing vessels and pleasure yachts operating in Polar waters, but are not already covered by the mandatory Polar Code, the so-called ‘non-SOLAS’ ships.
Asian governments are trying to improve the facilities and ease the regulations to attract more super yachts to cruise in the region and spend time in their marinas. In fact, in Thailand this has led to an increase in visiting super yachts, reaching an all time high in Phuket. Namely, during February, the Yacht Haven Marina accommodated 36 super yachts.
The Maritime Authority of Cayman Islands issued a guidance note reminding of the Red Ensign Group Large Yacht Code requirements (up to 12 passengers) which will be applied retrospectively to existing yachts at the first annual survey after 1st January 2019.
