Ship Safety & Security

The present officially released Guidance was developed to set out the declared policy of the Government related to the use of the armed guards on board UK vessels, the importance of performing full risk assessments prior to taking any decisions to their use, as well as the circumstances under which shipping companies might consider use of guards, factors to consider and include in the contracts between PMSC and shipping companies, issues relating to the proper storage of firearms and their handling, demonstrate how to produce a counter-piracy plan, command and control security teams, and, in general, provides readers with necessary information in this regard.

It is highly recommended for the officers of the vessels flying the flag of the United Kingdom to be in possession of this regulatory document especially in case if their intended voyage implies passing through the waters where the vessel and crew members may be under danger.

This nice and informative training booklet was prepared by M. Hanif Dewan, Senior Engineering Lecturer in the IMA, standing for the International Maritime Academy in Bangladesh last year.

Contents as follows: Fire; Fire hazards and sources; Types of fires; Fire triangle; Fire spread; Conduction; Radiation; Convection; Fire hazards in engine room, galley, accommodation; Fire hazards from cargoes; Four phases of fire development; Methods of fire detection; Automatic fire detection systems; Manual Fire Detection - Pull Stations; Automatic Detectors – Spot type, photoelectric, inonisation, heat/thermal, rate-of-rise, combination; Smoke and flame detectors; Air sampling; Maintenance and testing; Notification and alarming appliances; Fire Alarm Circuit Classes; Additional Fire Alarm Terminology; Fire extinguishing methods and agents; Fire fighting systems; Fire main; International shore connection; Automatic fire sprinklers.

As you can see, the authors has managed to cover, in a single volume, all critically important aspects of fire protection together with the means of detection and extinguishing of the fire that has already occurred. The information presented in the booklet is a must-know for every single crew member and any other persons on board as it is directly relating to the safety of the vessel and people on board.

The whole content of the present volume was prepared by the Commander James Kraska to serve as a very authoritative yet accessible overview of the contemporary maritime piracy - it should be noted that the book not only provides readers with the legal and historical context required for proper understanding of the pirates.

The author has done his best to give the information covering the operational environment of the merchant mariners and naval personnel together with the constraints affecting them. In addition to that the book contains several informative appendices turning it into a truly convenient reference source.

An excellent choice for the policy-makers and all other practitioners, analysts and scholars. In fact, the volume should be treated as the essential one to be read to get the understanding of why the maritime piracy is spiking now.

Written in a very fluidly manner, this text deserves the right to become a handbook for the maritime piracy diplomats and military personnel. we would consider this publication a must-read for all people willing to dig a bit deeper into the real world of the contemporary piracy.

This publication is dedicated to the safety issues of the bridge watchkeeping. The main body of this official publication released by the MAIB, standing for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, has been arranged in several chapters related to the safety study, supplemented with a glossary of abbreviations and terms used throughout the document, analysis, conclusions, recommendations, and two annexes with questionnaire and principles of safe manning.

The paper opens with the extract from the Merchant Shipping regulations saying that the fundamental purpose of accident investigation is to determine the circumstances of this accident together with the causes, with the ultimate aim being the improvement of the safety of human life at sea and, of course, avoidance of such accidents in the future. Not to apportion the liability or blame.

The present report endeavors to identify and then analyze the safety issues that led to a specific accident and make the recommendations on the basis of the analysis. These recommendations, in turn, are expected to be helpful in preventing the repetition of the similar ship accidents, and this is a general intention of the authors of this report.

We all know that SAR, standing for the Search-and-Rescue is the search for and also provision of the necessary lifesaving assistance to the persons who are in distress and under imminent danger to their lives. The SAR arrangements developed and implemented by the Australian maritime authorities are actually intended to complement such emergency services as fire service, police and first aid in cases where those services are unavailable due to some reasons, such as the rescues at sea, remote operations etc.

Note that the Australian SAR region covers not only the Australian continent itself, but also includes large areas of the Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans supplemented with the Antarctic territories of the Australia - all that area reaches nearly sixty million square kms. The present official manual was released to document the standard procedures and established techniques for promoting the effective saving of human lives at sea.

This publication addresses one of the most important aspects, namely entry into enclosed spaces. Unfortunately, the challenge of safe entry into such spaces has tragically been there with the shipping industry for too many years. We do not even know how many seamen, marine surveyors, stevedores and even shore-side workers and shore-based personnel have lost their lives in the enclosed spaces located on board ships and offshore rigs; what we know is that there are dozens of fatalities occurring every year.

That is why it is considered imperative for all newcomers to the maritime and offshore industries to learn at the earliest possible stage about all potential dangers connected with entering into such spaces. People whose job involves entering the enclosed spaces shall clearly understand and realize all consequences of being poorly prepared. It goes without saying that absolutely no enclosed space may be entered without due precautions taken. Such precautions reduce the risk associated with entering enclosed spaces and may save your life; that is why this training is essential. The present guide was specifically released to assist the seafarers to enter the enclosed spaces in a safe way...

The present small yet quite useful brochure will give its readers the required basic instructions on the proper implementation of the effective safety culture in the shipping companies, as outlined in the requirements of the IMO ISM Code. The original intention of the authors of the document was to assist the staff members of the shipping companies, including manager and actual seafarers in fulfilling the both the letter and spirit of the above stated Code.

The ISM Code has become mandatory through the SOLAS. That is one of the reasons of the significant reduction in the number of marine casualties and oil spills - and the most positive factor was the reduction in the number of human lives lost at sea. However, it should be noted that the full implementation of the safety culture is still considered a serious issue that shall be addressed by the shipping companies paying additional attention to this.

It would generally include the need for all people concerned to properly understand and feel how the serious marine incidents and unsafe acts are related can result in a loss of human life or serious damage to the vessel or transported cargo, as well as to the serious environmental issues. We would also like to underline the importance of changing attitude and avoidance of negative behavior as well as complacency towards the safety at sea and protection of the environment...