Safety equipment becomes snag hazard and crew member injures finger
Sometimes, safety equipment itself can be a hazard, argues The Nautical Institute after a crew member suffered an injury on board a cargo vessel. In this case, open half-links were used to support the safety...Read more
‘Captain MSC Zoe not guilty of losing containers in the North Sea’
The captain of the container ship MSC Zoe will not be prosecuted, the Dutch Public Prosecutor’s Office has announced. The container ship lost a huge load of containers in bad weather in the night of...Read more
‘Use high visibility paint markings for tripping hazards on ships’
Tripping hazards are often overlooked. Use of high visibility paint markings could improve safety on board a ship. The Nautical Institute illustrates this in a recent Mars Report in which a crew member tripped over...Read more
Ignoring the gangway proves fatal for vessel visitor
The Nautical Institute warns that embarkation/disembarkation needs to controlled rigorously after a recent incident in which someone fell into the water between ship and quay and subsequently drowned. The incident is discussed in a recent...Read more
Assumptions lead to ships colliding
Every time you assume an action will be taken by another party without verifying directly with them, the door to a potential accident is opened, says The Nautical Institute. A recent Mars Report illustrates the...Read more
Terminal pressures vessel crew to resume transfer despite safety issues
Despite a supporting rope on one of the four fenders breaking, a terminal still wanted a ship-to-ship transfer to continue. The Nautical Institute discusses the situation in a recent Mars Report and stresses safety should...Read more
Master with the con and steering in darkness, vessel scrapes channel side
An overload of work processes can contribute to losing situational awareness. The Nautical Institute emphasises this point in a recent Mars Report. In it, a ferry ended up with a ten-metre tear in its hull...Read more
Stay clear of the lifting danger zone during ship loading operations
Two crew members standing in the lifting danger zone suffered injuries during loading of wind turbine tower sections after being struck by a parting sling. The incident is discussed by The Nautical Institute, which stresses...Read more
Sweden wants end of diving ban on sunken ferry Estonia
The Swedish Government has said that it is prepared to amend a law prohibiting diving on the wreck of the ferry Estonia which sank in the Baltic Sea. This was requested by the Swedish accident...Read more
Don’t rely on anchors to keep your ship in place during a storm
Time and again groundings from storm anchorages occur because too much time was lost before lifting anchor and putting to the open sea. The Nautical Institute warns about such practices in a recent Mars Report,...Read more
Dutch Safety Board: River cruise safety inadequate
The growing popularity of river cruises in the Netherlands demands additional emphasis on safety. The Dutch Safety Board states this in its report published on 17 December on the collision between the Swiss river cruise...Read more
Never rush into a space that has a collapsed crew member inside
Some spaces, although not officially an enclosed space, can still act as one. In a recent Mars Report, a crew member died after entering a bow thruster compartment alone. The Nautical Institute stresses rescue operations...Read more
Pay attention to hydrodynamics when meeting a ship in restricted waters
When two ships tried to steer clear of each other near a curve in a narrow channel, one of them made bottom contact. The Nautical Institute discusses this incident in a recent Mars Report and...Read more
Ship hits mooring dolphins resulting in millions worth of damage
A master and pilot need to have a mutually understood docking plan. The Nautical Institute discusses a case in which master and pilot were not “on the same page” resulting in USD 3.7 million in...Read more
Lifting close call underlines need for visual contact during ship operations
A loose wire sling nearly caused a crew member to fall off a gangway. The Nautical Institute discusses this incident in one of its latest Mars Reports to draw attention to hidden hazards and the...Read more
Do you manually correct your vessel’s AIS data when needed?
The automatic identification system (AIS) is a valuable tool that shares critical vessel information with other vessel operators. However, its usefulness depends on accurate data entry. In a recent Mars Report, not entering the vessel’s...Read more
Disoriented master leads to ferry colliding with sailing yacht
Blind pilotage cannot be improvised and best results come only if these skills are constantly practised before they are needed. This is the advice given by The Nautical Institute after a ferry in fog collided...Read more
Dutch Safety Board investigates leakage of toxic substance at BP
The Dutch Safety Board will conduct an exploratory investigation into the leak at the BP refinery in the Europoort port area of Rotterdam. The toxic substance hydrogen fluoride was released this weekend. An employee was...Read more