11 dead, 70 injured, USD8 million in damage, almost USD90 million in legal settlements was the result of the Staten Island ferry Andrew J Barberi, slamming into a pier, on October 15th, 2003. On the list of major maritime accidents it was pretty significant, but for seafarers around the world, it was the match that lit the “crack down” on seafarer medicals. As for the cause, the National Transportation Safety…
Zim Kingston might be last year’s news, but the reality is that the ship is probably nowhere near departing the west coast of Canada. Some of you might might still be interested in the container ship’s troubles, which persist, like the COVID. In mid October, 2021, the ship encountered heavy seas off the coast of Vancouver Island, and several stack of containers collapsed, spilling 109, 40 foot containers into Canadian…
The pandemic had an enormous impact on markets, health, and geopolitics. But while a certain normalcy has returned in commerce and day-to-day life hundreds of thousands of seafarers are still stuck at sea. The countries that still don’t allow crew changes at ports are part of the problem. The situation for up to 300,000 seafarers has been described as unbearable. They are hoping for a solution but there doesn’t seem…
The maritime world is going into deep shock! The fact that most seafarers are toiling out of sight makes them particularly vulnerable, more so in this time without precedent. Book ended by the brutal Saudi Arabia – Russia oil price war, and the COVID19 pandemic and its economical impacts, professional seafarers are going to find themselves considerably challenged in the near future. In my view, the disastrous response by the…
Veterans Day is a day for remembering the sacrifices of those who have served the United States, their families, and those who paid the ultimate price in war. At Environmental Litigation Group we offer compassionate and comprehensive services to aid veterans and their family members. We should take a moment to remember some of the less obvious risks men in uniform were confronted with during their service, and not only…
During January-April 2019, four incidents of unauthorised boarding of ships in locations of close proximity to each other were reported in the western sector of Singapore Strait. All four incidents occurred to tug boats towing barges and dredger while underway in the westbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS). Of the four incidents, two incidents reported loss of scrap metal, and nothing was reported stolen in the other two…
10 January 2018 – London – OCIMF will extend access to Tanker Management and Self Assessment (TMSA) reports to non-OCIMF members from 14 January 2019. This major change will mean more information is available to more users, which will help improve overall safety and marine assurance. Access to TMSA reports was previously restricted to OCIMF members, but will now be extended to non-OCIMF members who are registered as Ship Inspection…
I was asked recently this question from a visitor, that I though someone else might empathize with, or provide insight. The Question: Is it necessary to consume alcohol onboard the ship? I heard that some crew members will force me to drink, but I don’t have a habit of consuming alcohol. My answer: I think what you are asking me, is whether you are required to drink while working onboard…