Accidents

Ocean Emperor Master Convicted The master of the Ocean Emperor pleaded guilty in the Cairns Magistrates Court on 11 August, to six charges under section 268(1B) of the Navigation Act 1912.The charges proven were that, he, being the master of the Ocean Emperor, had failed to report as soon as practicable to AMSA a defect in the ship or its boilers, machinery or equipment that had effected or was likely to effect the seaworthiness or safety of the ship.The six charges relate to failure to report defects in six locations off the east coast of Queensland between 22 and 29 July 2010.He was convicted on all charges and fined a total of $18,000.The Ocean Emperor remains at anchorage within the Port of Cairns.Source: AMSA

US DOJ engineering officer pleads guilty The US Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued a press release stating that the second assistant engineer of a merchant vessel pleaded guilty in federal court to violation of federal law by failing to properly maintain the ships oil record book.CARGO SHIP ENGINEER PLEADS GUILTY IN TAMPA TO COVERING UP ILLEGAL OIL DUMPINGTampa, Florida - United States Attorney A. Brian Albritton announces that Yavuz Mogultay (age 31, a Turkish citizen) pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Mark A. Pizzo yesterday to a one-count Information charging him with knowingly failing to fully and accurately to maintain an Oil Record Book as required by international treaty and United States law. Mogultay faces a maximum sentence of six years in federal prison.A sentencing date has not yet been set.Mogultay served as the Second Assistant Engineer onboard the cargo ship M/V Avenue Star. According to the Information, Mogultay used bypass hoses to sort-cut the vessels pollution prevention equipment and discharge oily waste from the engine room.He then failed to record the discharges in the vessels Oil Record Book. Mogultay also failed to record the transfer of oily wastes into a ballast tank used to store...

EU - EMSA Maritime Accident Review 2009 The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has published its third annual Maritime Accident Review for 2009 of accidents involving ships within the EU, Norway and Iceland. Although the Review does not focus on the root causes, it highlights the key points of significant accidents which occurred throughout last year and features various statistics based on the information that EMSA has received. This is the third in an annual series of reviews which began in 2007 and which provide selective and aggregated information on EU maritime accidents, and the aim is to make both the EU maritime community and EU citizens aware of the accident situation in and around EU waters. The 2009 figures show that the total number of ships involved in accidents, and also loss of life, were substantially down in comparison to the market boom years of 2007/2008, although the number of accidents was still significantly higher than in 2006.Source: EMSA

MAIB Annual Report 2009 published The MAIB Annual Report 2009 and responses to recommendations made by the MAIB was published on 29 July 2010.MAIB Annual Report 2009Source: MAIB

USCG bulletin regarding proper maintenance The US Coast Guard issued a bulletin reminding owners, operators, and masters of the importance of ensuring proper maintenance of systems, equipment, and components. A commercial vessel recently suffered a partial propulsion failure. Investigation revealed that the companys Safety Management System and the vessels Maintenance Management System had both failed to include a line item for routine changing of lube oil filters, even though such maintenance was required by the associated equipment manual. Lessons Learned 04-10Source: USCG

IBIA warned its members that Receipts Must Show True Sulphur Content The International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) has warned its members of the dangers arising from the failure on the part of some suppliers to put authentic sulphur content results on Bunker Delivery Receipts.IBIA chief executive Ian Adams said, Clearly this is not in compliance with MARPOL requirements and may create a problem for shipowners in terms of the selection of correct feed rates and Total Base Numbers (TBN) of cylinder oil. Knowing the sulphur content of the fuel to be used is essential to engine efficiency and overall safety, and furthermore necessary to remain within the specific requirements applicable in Emissions Control Areas (ECAs). The sulphur content of the fuel should always be clearly stated on the BDR.IBIA emphasizes that the ships chief engineer should be vigilant in studying the BDR sulphur result and then using the appropriate cylinder oil feed rate and TBN oil. Engine manufacturer information should be obtained on this, and followed carefully to avoid engine problems when using low-sulphur fuel, said Adams.Of course, in some ports, low-sulphur fuel is delivered even when it has not been specifically requested, because low-sulphur is the only type of...

UK Maib report on shipboard fatality The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) issued the report of its investigation of the uncontrolled descent of an accommodation ladder from a container ship in San Francisco Bay on 10 September 2009 resulting in one fatality. The accommodation ladder fell because the gearbox of the hoist winch failed. The gearbox had recently undergone routine maintenance and had been incorrectly reassembled. The hoist winch was not considered to be lifting gear under national regulation; thus minimal standards were utilized in its maintenance and inspection. New international standards recently have come into force that improve those standards, but gaps still exist. Recommendations have been made for further improvement. Report 8/2010 Source:MAIB

USA NTSB update on tour boat-barge collision investigation The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued an update on its investigation of the July 7 collision between a tour boat and a barge in the Delaware River at Philadelphia in which two persons lost their lives. The tour boat experienced a mechanical problem and anchored in the navigation channel of the river. The crew of the tour boat were interviewed and stated that they attempted to call the vessel that was towing the barge alongside, but received no response. The master, engineer, and a deckhand on the towing vessel were interviewed. The mate of the towing vessel has exercised his rights under the Fifth Amendment and refused to be interviewed. The investigation continues.Source:ntsb

Olympic Tug and Barge penalised for Seattle oil spill The Department of Ecology in the US West Coast state of Washington says it has fined Olympic Tug & Barge Company US$15,500 for an 13 April spill of two gallons of diesel fuel into the East Waterway off Harbor Island in Seattle. According to Ecology the incident involved crew inattention during a fuel transfer between two tugs. Washington law is very clear about oil spill prevention, said Dale Jensen, who manages Ecologys spill prevention, preparedness and response programme. All fuel transfers are serious business, every time. This penalty is about a failure to exercise that care. An Ecology statement says that Olympic crews began to transfer 25,000 gallons of diesel fuel from the tug CF Campbell to the tug Hunter D. About 13,000 gallons into the transfer, a member of the Campbells crew noticed fuel flowing out of a vent tube on the Hunter D. The crews stopped the transfer, began clean-up work, and notified Ecology and the U.S. Coast Guard. The spill totalled five gallons. Three gallons remained on deck, and just two went into the East Waterway. Ecologys follow-up investigation "conducted with the US Coast Guard and with Olympics...

Violating Pollution Prevention Act United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court, May 3, Vaja Sikharulidze, a citizen of Georgia, pled guilty before United States District Judge James C. Dever, III to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, in violation of Title 33, United States Code, Sections 1901, et. seq. A Criminal Information was filed on April 23.Sikharulidze, 59, was the Chief Engineer of the Motor Tanker Chem Faros, a 21,145 gross-ton ocean-going cargo ship. The ship was operated by Cooperative Success Maritime SA and regularly transported cargo between various ports in Asia and the United States, to include Morehead City, N.C.Consistent with requirements in the APPS regulations, a vessel other than an oil tanker, must maintain a record known as an Oil Record Book in which transfer and disposal of all oil-contaminated waste and the discharge overboard and disposal otherwise of such waste, must be fully and accurately recorded by the person in charge of the operations. Oil-contaminated bilge waste can be discharged overboard if it is processed through on-board pollution prevention equipment known as the Oily Water Separator, which is used to separate the water from the oil and other wastes, and the...