By Captain George Livingstone One of the great ‘maritime’ authors of the 20th century is Jan de Hartog, born in Holland, his seagoing career spanned the glory years of Dutch ocean towing. Thankfully for those of us who love a good sea story, he turned to writing. One of my favorite quotes from him - “The call of the sea ceases only when it is finally … [Read more...]
MSC Flaminia Incident Prompts New EU Guidelines for Ships in Distress
The European Commission has presented new EU Operational guidelines for ships in need of assistance. The guidelines have been developed by a group comprised of Member States' authorities with input and support of industry stakeholders following a Commission initiative in the aftermath of the fatal MSC Flaminia accident in summer 2012. The EU operational guidelines were … [Read more...]
South Korea Finally Gives Refuge to Fire-Scorched Tanker
At the end of 2013, the Hong Kong-flagged chemical tanker Maritime Maisie was t-boned by the car carrier Gravity Highway which was on sea trials from Hyundai Mipo Dockyard resulting in the ignition of the ship's cargo of 30,000 tons of the highly flammable chemical acrylonitrile. As the resultant fire on board raged for over a week, the ship's structure was weakened … [Read more...]
Maritime Maisie Chemical Tanker In Danger of Breaking Up
Classification society Lloyd's Register has warned that the fire-scorched chemical tanker Maritime Maisie is in danger of breaking up more than 50 days after a collision with a car carrier off Busan, South Korea. An update from Lloyd's Register said that the maximum bending moment for the ship currently exceeds estimated damage strength limits, adding that the vessel is in … [Read more...]
High Profile Vessel Casualties Ignite ‘Place of Refuge’ Call to Action
Shipowners, Salvors and Insurers represented by at least three trade associations are jointly calling for the implementation of international measures to provide a Place of Refuge for stricken vessels following a series of high-profile incidents where casualty vessels have been delayed or denied in accessing a safe harbor. The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) says … [Read more...]