Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published Jun 22, 2022 9:26 PM by The Maritime Executive

Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has released a report on yet another serious lifeboat-drill accident, illustrating the continuing hazards of this routine SOLAS safety exercise. A failure of a lifeboat launch system on a merchant vessel can result in a fall from height, ending in injuries or fatalities for anyone in the boat.

On December 1, 2020, the crew of the bulk carrier Blue Bosporus were carrying out a free-fall lifeboat drill at anchor in English Bay, British Columbia. After the four wire rope slings for lowering away the free-fall lifeboat were attached, the third mate and an AB went aboard the boat to conduct a test launch. The third mate activated the release hook, and the lifeboat slid forward about 25 centimeters. At that point, three slings connecting the boat to the davit failed, along with the bracket connecting to the fourth sling. The boat fell 45 feet into the water. 

Both crewmembers aboard were seriously injured - one with leg injuries and one with an injured hand - and they were taken to a hospital for treatment. The boat's hull sustained damage where it struck the water. Most (but not all) of the broken sling components were retrieved for analysis. 

A post-accident investigation found that the crimp sleeves on the slings had weakened over time due to stress corrosion cracking - a common problem for stainless steel. In addition, one of the slings was shorter than the others, meaning that it took the full load of the boat when the hook was initially released. This sling failed first, followed by the others in sequence. 

The crew were under orders to exit the lifeboat after releasing the hook, before the boat was lowered into the water using the davig - a practice consistent with IMO guidance. However, they still needed to be present in the boat in order to release the hook. They were in the practice of standing without securing themselves to the seats while carrying out this task. "There had been no assessment of the risk associated with standing unsecured in the lifeboat when it was suspended by its slings," TSB concluded.

The vessel's maintenance schedule did not specifically cover inspecting the condition of the slings, according to TSB. After the casualty, the shipowner installed new load-tested sling assemblies and brackets, and it sent a safety circular to update its requirements for lifeboat inspections and drills. 

Published Jul 29, 2022 4:05 PM by The Maritime Executive

Pasha Hawaii took delivery on July 28 on the first of its two LNG-fueled containerships built by Keppel AmFELS in Texas. The vessel, named George III, becomes one of only a few LNG-fueled ships in the US merchant marine and according to Pasha is the first LNG-fueled vessel homeported on the U.S. West Coast running regular operations between the mainland and Hawaii. Pasha joins Tote Services, which introduced the first LNG-fueled containership in 2015, and Crowley which also operates U.S.-flagged...

Published Jul 29, 2022 1:54 PM by The Maritime Executive

A week after the signing of the agreement with the United Nations to resume gain shipments from three Ukrainian Black Sea Ports, Ukraine’s president and other senior officials visited the ports to emphasize they are open and ready to start shipments. UN officials briefing the media said they were hopeful the first ships could depart before day’s end. "The first vessel, the first ship is being loaded since the beginning of the war,” President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted during...

Published Jul 29, 2022 12:39 AM by The Maritime Executive

Nine Sri Lankan Navy sailors who traveled to the United States to join the Rim of the Pacific exercise have decided to jump ship and stay, according to Sri Lanka's Economy Next.  The sailors were part of a 50-person team that deployed from Sri Lanka in June in order to join RIMPAC 2022, the world's largest international naval exercise. After RIMPAC, they were scheduled to help crew a new Sri Lankan Navy ship: the former USCGC Douglas Munro, which was...

Published Jul 28, 2022 9:42 PM by The Maritime Executive

A U.S.-sanctioned Syrian vessel has arrived in Lebanon from the Black Sea carrying a cargo of wheat, and Ukrainian officials assert that it is the latest in a string of cargoes believed to be stolen from Russian-occupied territory.  The 13,000 dwt Syrian freighter Laodicea - a notorious U.S.-sanctioned vessel - called in Tripoli on Wednesday. She arrived on a voyage from the Black Sea, where she had been operating AIS-dark for two weeks. The Ukrainian Embassy in Lebanon asserts that...

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