News

The 'Gorinchem VIII', operating between Gorinchem, Woudrichem and Slot Loevestein, suffered a short circuit in the battery charger on Nov 6, 2024. The fire brigade was mobilized at around 6.30 a.m. LT to extinguish the fire aboard the ship, which was moored at the quay outside the Waterpoort in Gorinchem. Just before the first departure to Woudrichem, The crew discovered that smoke was coming from the front hatch of the ferry. The fire brigade attended on the scene with three fire engines. The fire was quickly brought under control, after which the ship was ventilated. No one was injured. The cause of the fire was found to be a short circuit in the ship's battery chargers. The service was covered with another ferry, of the Veerdienst Riveer, so passengers hat no inconvenience. While the damage remained limited, the ferry was cleaned in the run of the day to get back operating again.

In Benin, the CRIET rendered its decision on Nov 7, 2024, on the request for provisional release of the defendants in the case of 'SPSL Udeme', stranded in Fidjrossè. The 14 people arrested, and police and navy officers allegedly involved in the case will remain in prison pending the outcome of their trial. The Special Court rendered its decision on the request for provisional release of the defendants. In its decision, the court rejected the lawyers' request for provisional release. After its decision, the Court adjourned the proceedings to Nov 28, to continue the proceedings. Following this decision of the court, the 18 defendants, including the 14 members of the ship's crew and twio agents of the national navy, a police commissioner and a smuggler, returned to prison pending the next hearing. The state officials (two sailors and a police officer) are being prosecuted for "abuse of office". As for the 14 members of the crew, they are accused of "navigating without title" in the waters of Benin. The smuggler, presumed owner of the cargo, is being prosecuted for "trafficking in petroleum products". They all pleaded not guilty to these charges. During the previous hearing, the CRIET ordered, at the request of the public prosecutor, the dismantling of vessel at the owner's expense.

The MAIB has published an investigation report into an incident where on July 29, 2021, at 1:53 p.m. the bosun of the 'Clipper Pennant', actually sailing as 'Ur', was fatally crushed when he became trapped between a moving vehicle and the vessel’s structure. The ship was alongside in Liverpool, England, loading a cargo of semi-trailers. A tractor unit driver pushed a semi-trailer into a corner space, marshalled by the vessel’s bosun in his assigned role as banksman. The driver then disconnected the tractor unit and drove away. Shortly afterwards, the bosun was found trapped between the rear of the semi-trailer and the vessel’s structure, having sustained fatal injuries. The accident happened because the tractor unit driver did not stop pushing the semi-trailer when they lost sight of the bosun during the manoeuvre. This was due to a procedural workaround that had become routine practice at the port, whereby the banksman was expected to move to an unsighted position behind a nearby semi-trailer. However, the bosun in this instance did not act as expected. He instead stood on a painted walkway located inside the vehicle lane to marshal the semi-trailer into the space, and so remained in its path as it approached. The semi-trailer had inadvertently been parked at an angle, encroaching the walkway and striking the bosun. The investigation found that the working practices on board the 'Clipper Pennant' did not reflect industry guidelines and company procedure; there was no documented procedure for stowing semi-trailers in the more hazardous corner stowage spaces, which led to the development of local workarounds that went unchallenged; and organisational oversight was insufficiently effective, both in the approach of the vessel’s operator, Seatruck Ferries Limited, to learning lessons from previous accidents and the management of the port and its tractor unit drivers by the vessel’s charterer, P&O Ferries Limited. Since the accident, Seatruck Ferries Limited has taken several actions to improve safety on its vehicle decks, including developing a new safe system of work that recognises dynamic danger zones and establishing standard loading procedures that better reflect the work performed. The company has also engaged with the industry to share its findings following several trials and tests of new procedures on company vessels and in various ports. A safety recommendation has been made to industry bodies to develop a jointly agreed and consolidated industry Code of Practice for vehicle deck safety on roll-on/roll-off vessels. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Health and Safety Executive are recommended to amend their relevant codes and guidelines to reflect industry best practice. Recommendations have also been made to: P&O Ferries Limited to review how it achieves assurance that its ports adhere to its operational procedures and that a jointly agreed safe system of work is in place on chartered vessels; and to CLdN RoRo Limited (formerly Seatruck Ferries Limited) to improve its organisational safety culture and ensure effective supervision of vehicle deck cargo loading operations. Fullö report: https://safety4sea.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/UKMAIB-ClipperPennant-2024_11.pdf

On the morning of Nov 8, 2024, the fire service was called to Frekhaug in Alver after smoke and a burning smell were reported on the Norwegian flagged fast ferry 'Fjordkatt', 226 gt (IMO: 9380790)when it approached the quay in Frekhaug. Fire and police at the site could not find where the smell was coming from. It must have been an electrical fault. There were 35 passengers on board the vessel. There have been no reports of injuries. Most of the passengers were to get off at Frekhaug, while those going on were transported by bus. The crew on board have called in an electrician to find out the cause of the fault. The Nordhordland route, which runs between Knarvik, Frekhaug and Bergen, has been canceled until further notice.

The wreck of the 'Atina', which had sunk on Aug 10, 2024, due to a fire in front of the Saline, has re-emerged from the waters of Olbia on Nov 4. The ship was reised with f a crane, which hoisted the vessel aboard the platform 'Conquest MB1'. On Nov 5, more operations including the inspection and reclamation of the seabed, where the wreck was located, were planned. The Olbia Coastguard will also carry out an inspection of the hull to investigate the cause of the fire. After the operations, the wreck of the 'Atina' will be demolished in Piombino. Report with photos: https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/watch-154-foot-sunken-superyacht-raised-from-sardinian-waters-for-scrapping/