 The present report contains the results of the investigation following the VCM (vinyl chloride monomer) escape which occurred on board gas carrier Coral Acropora. Subject vessel was preparing to commence the discharge of the cargo into the shore tanks located approximately 3 kilometers from the berth.
Upon arrival, a cargo surveyor had preformed the calculation of the cargo quantity and asked the chief officer of the vessel to run a cargo pump in each of the tanks as the cargo samples were taken. However, the chief officer of Coral Acropora was not aware of the requirement for cargo sampling and had not made necessary arrangements. The decision was made by the chief officer to accede to the surveyor's request without including subject sampling operation in the ship's discharge plan. The aft tank valves were opened allowing the cargo recirculation.
After that, the chief officer run the aft tank pump through the local controls on tank top. The surveyor started to fill the cargo sample cylinder from the designated sampling point of the tanks. After several minutes, the cargo alarm sounded. The chief officer muted the alarm klaxon since he assumed that the alarm indicated tripping of the cargo pump; however, he could not know that for sure without checking in the cargo office...
 The marine ports are considered the most critical components of the worldwide transportation infrastructure; however, they have never been covered with a really comprehensive security oversight and governmental regulation.
The intention of this volume is to provide the industry with some introduction and also provide required support guidelines to be used for the management of the port security.
Taking into account all complexities of the homeland security strategies, the publication is aimed at those shipping industry specialists and students who are normally responsibilities or interested in provision of the security of the maritime infrastructure, including port facilities.
The volume gives some introduction to the security management, tells readers about the most serious security challenges, risk management activities, personnel and facility security issues, cargo handling operations, intelligence and access controls, safety management, emergency management, security force management and many other topics considered important enough for inclusion into this publication. There is a short glossary of terminology and a comprehensive list of useful organizational resources supplementing the main text.
 The content of this guidebook was developed to serve as a practical reference for the marine surveyor directly engaged in the activities conducted in the enclosed spaces on vessels. It is expected to provide them with the invaluable assistance so that they can fully appreciate the dangers that may potentially be faced in such spaces. They will also see and understand the potential consequences of the inadequate entry procedures.
The guidelines provided in the pages of this volume are based upon the great practical experience of the MRM, i.e. Mines Rescue Marine, personnel training people to safely operate in enclosed spaces in various industries. The ultimate goal of the author of the guide is to assist the marine surveyors in making proper assessment of the hazards that may be there in the enclosed spaces they are intending to enter, and provide required practical guidance on how to behave in the different situations commonly faced in such spaces.
The contents opens with the chapters devoted to the categorization of the enclosed spaces, main definitions and terms in use, recording and reporting procedures, followed by the description of the design features that are associated with those spaces, analyses of the real case studies, etc.
 In the present document, all interested readers will see what the national maritime representatives have agreed on and also what they recommend as best practice once it comes to working on the vessel's trailer deck. The reason for publishing this sector specific guidelines is that dangerous situations can arise at any time when aboard a RoRo vessel.
Working on the trailer deck can be especially risky because of industrial accidents and, more importantly, due to the damage to health. However, the legislation that is currently in force does not include any specific guidelines aimed at preventing human injury while carrying on their duties on the trailer deck. This guidance is mainly focusing on working on the trailer deck. In the content of the document only passing reference has been made to ventilation installations since these are basically described in the IMO's MSC circular 729 of 4th July 1996.
The content of the guidance was initially submitted to the DMA, i.e. Danish Maritime Authority for their pre-review and all of their valuable comments have found due reflection in the text. That is the reason why we can easily recommend this document for familiarization of the newcomers and even to the experienced professionals.
 The South-East Asia and Bangladesh are currently considered global hottest spots of the maritime pirate attacks on the merchant fleet. The author of the present volume makes an attempt to explain why the maritime piracy still exists and in what form it takes place in the above stated region.
He offers his readers an integrated thorough analysis of the origins or the maritime piracy and its root causes, including the organized crime networks, politics - radically motivated groups, common use of the convenient flags, insufficient state control measures over the national territories, activities conducted by the private companies providing the security - the author provides all of the information related to these aspects and tries to identify their implications on maritime security, with particular attention paid to the Bangladesh and Southeast Asia.
Recommended reading for people engaged in provision of the ships safety and security, planning their voyage and routing and all other activities taking place in that area - they will benefit of the information and experience shared by the author.
 The authors of the present publication on maritime terrorism have achieved their goal, which was to provide a professional policy-level discussion of this problem covering both risk and liability. Subject discussion shall be considered mandatory reading for and maritime policy-makers, maritime insurers and business leaders with the activities in the maritime sector.
The book is exploring the maritime terrorism threats and vulnerabilities, consequences of the actions, application of the civil liability in the context of the attacks against various types of vessels including ferries, container vessels and cruise ships. Though the number of the terrorist attacks has eventually limited, marine ships and floating facilities are still quite vulnerable to maritime attacks and the consequences of such attacks may be very severe, including mass casualties, commercial disruption and damage to the property.
The matters enlightened in the present publication are very important that is why the book is recommended to the people engaged in the provision of the safety and protection of the marine facilities from this sort of attacks.
 A practical reference book for those willing to qualify and validate the info obtained from the popular media about maritime piracy. It provides readers with a perfect intro to the maritime security and is equally directed to the government officials, students and security professionals.
We know that the international maritime industry is vulnerable to the piracy and different sorts of threats - in fact, it may present an easy target for the terrorist attacks. The fundamentals of the commercial shipping are detailed in this volume.
Michael McNicholas explains in a clear and understandable language how the commercial sea ports function and how vessels operate, what threats exist there and what security procedures and policies shall be implemented in order to mitigate those threats.
In short, this book will provide required guidance for the industry professionals engaged in protection of the maritime ports and shipping industry in general. The author has also offered numerous case studies demonstrating the effective tactics in today's high risk environment.
 The content of this perfect publication was prepared by Daniel J. Benny, Ph. D., who has declared the ultimate purpose to provide the readers with a thorough and comprehensive overview of the protection of the maritime community as well as of the established effective methods that shall be used to safeguard people, marine vessels, watercrafts, marinas, and ports from numerous threats.
Note that this book is not intended to provide a full coverage of the security issues related to the maritime supply chain. The security level varies based on ships/maritime property and threat assessments. That is the reason why so wide range of security policies and a blend of the procedures and methods of physical security are examined.
The book shall not be treated as just representation of facts and the reporting on the various methods of maritime community protection; it rather contains the professional opinions and recommendations from the author on such methods... in short, we are recommending this volume to the people engaged in the protection of the maritime ports, vessels of all sized, and other facilities - they will definitely find this title useful.
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