It’s been an active beginning to 2019 in terms of maritime casualties. The phone at the Panama Marine Accident Investigation Department was likely ringing off the hook with three major incidents on Panama-flagged vessels in the first two days. The first three weeks of the year have produced a wide range of serious casualties...and they are likely just the tip of the … [Read more...]
Who Sunk The Battleship?
Again. There was a collision at sea again. Last Thursday, as you most likely have already seen, there was a collision between a Nato Warship, the frigate the KNM Helge Ingstad, and a 250-meter tanker, the Sola TS. The tanker had just left its berth and was under tug escort when a head-on situation developed between the Sola TS and the KNM Helge Ingstad. The Vessel Traffic … [Read more...]
Graded Assertiveness: Captain, I Have a Concern…
By Rich Madden - Last year, I was inbound to a port-that-will-remain-nameless, with the local pilot at the conn. As we maneuvered up a winding channel, the channel curved to port, yet the pilot ordered starboard rudder as we approached the next turn. Our 3rd officer, who had been onboard for over two months already and well-drilled in bridge resource management … [Read more...]
Ship Managers Detained as Capsized Tanzanian Ferry Death Toll Reaches 224
DAR ES SALAAM, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Tanzanian authorities said on Sunday the number of people who died in a ferry that capsized in Lake Victoria had risen to 224 and the vessel's managers had been detained for questioning. The ferry, MV Nyerere, sank on Thursday evening just a few metres from the dock on Ukerewe, the lake's biggest island. Works, Transport and … [Read more...]
Nigerian Pirates Kidnap 12 From Swiss Bulker
by Michael Shields (Reuters) - Pirates kidnapped 12 crew members from a Swiss merchant vessel on Saturday in Nigerian waters, the ship’s operator said in a statement. Kidnapping for ransom is a common problem in parts of Nigeria. A number of foreigners have been kidnapped in the last few years in the southern Niger Delta region, source of most of the crude oil which is … [Read more...]