Identifying and covering the risks for marine What do we mean by ’autonomous’? The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) recognises that autonomy is a ‘spectrum’ yet, for the purposes of examining regulatory changes, it has defined a MASS as a ship which, to a varying degree, can operate independent of human interaction. For present purposes the […]
Loss of hire in marine insurance Introduction Loss of hire insurance is broader than its name suggests, it encompasses hire in the traditional sense, loss of freight and any other form of income that is lost as a direct consequence of loss of time. Its principal role as a risk management tool is to protect cash flow, […]
Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships Annex VI of Marpol 73/78 – Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships MARPOL Annex VI, “Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships”, was adopted by the 1997 Conference of the Parties to the MARPOL Convention. This Annex will enter into force […]
Challenges with the use of exhaust gas scrubbers in marine There are concerns associated with both of the two most popular options to comply with IMO 2020; use of compliant fuels and SOx Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS), often referred to as scrubbers. However, what is important is that after an incident has occurred, the […]
New IMO procedures for maintenance and inspection of life saving appliances Seafarers should be able to fully rely on the IMO-mandated life-saving appliances and equipment at their disposal, says the IMO. In May 2016, the IMO Maritime Safety Committee’s 96th session (MSC 96) adopted amendments to SOLAS regulations III/3 and III/20. These amendments enter into […]
Some technical aspects of marine fuels testing Introduction Ships use the cheapest liquid fuels available on the market, hence the fuel quality varies greatly. The safe operation of ships depends on knowledge of the quality of the fuel used. Fuel Testing It is estimated that only one third of all marine fuels delivered to ships […]
Marine fuel oil quality Fuel oil quality is directly related to the safe operation of ships and it is important for any ship operator to focus on preserving fuel oil quality. Bearing in mind that the European Union Directive 2005/33/EC which deals with sulphur content comes into force on 11 August 2007 and the North […]
Effects of off spec marine bunkers Introduction Taking on board off-spec bunkers can cause significant disruption to a vessel’s ability to trade. In addition, it creates problems in recovering from insurers costs incurred due to lack of and/or limitation in cover. This article is intended to provide an example of the problem as experienced by […]
Hull and Machinery Incident Engine Breakdown Engine breakdown The casualty described below is a good example of the importance of well-trained seafarers. The vessel in question was equipped with four engines (of approximately 4,000 kw each) and with a diesel electric propulsion system. When the breakdown occurred all four engines were running as normal on […]
Hull and machinery incident – Main engine and generator breakdown The incident reported below resulted in a complete machinery breakdown. Incident The vessel was preparing to depart from anchorage. The main engine shaft generator was connected to the main switchboard and everything appeared to be normal. One of the engine crew members was working near […]