By Captain George Livingstone - Some of you may recall another phrase, “Call me Cassandra”. The term, originating in Greek mythology is used when valid warnings or concerns are either dismissed or disbelieved. In the space of just 90 days since my January column “2018 The State of Maritime” where concerns about modern maritime safety were discussed, there have been … [Read more...]
Shipping Disasters Continued Decade-Long Decline in 2015, Report Shows
Despite what you may think from reading the news, the number of total losses and casualties in shipping each continued the decade-long downward trend in 2015, with 85 reported total loss incidents worldwide, according to Allianz Global's (AGCS) fourth annual Safety and Shipping Review 2016. Although the number of losses remained stable year-on-year, declining just 3% … [Read more...]
Four Deaths A Week – Is Training To Blame?
By Jaquelyn Burton (Coeval) Why with all the requirements, regulations, and best practices in place do so many mariners die needlessly each year - under completely preventable circumstances? Take for example enclosed spaces. Why do so many mariners still die in enclosed spaces? With training requirements in place for more than 40 years, the deaths still … [Read more...]
Disaster Statistics – Ship Losses Reach 10 Year Low
Martime disasters including high profile incidents - such as the Costa Concordia disaster, Sewol ferry sinking and Norman Atlantic ferry fire - have made banner headlines in recent years but, interestingly, the overall number of ships lost at sea is declining. Back in 2007, 170 large vessels were lost and this fell to just 75 in 2014, according to a new report by Allianz Global … [Read more...]
Pickup Truck Hauled into Baltimore Harbor During Freak Mooring Incident
On Saturday night, a miscommunication between line handlers aboard the containership MSC Ilona and those at terminal 4 in the Port of Baltimore resulted in a pickup truck getting pulled right off the pier and into the harbor. A gCaptain source tells us the lineman on the pier put the tag line on the bumper of his truck to pull the line off the bollard. After it was removed … [Read more...]