The Covid-19 enforced operational pause saw many cruise vessels anchored off the UK’s south coast.
During this period there were several anchor losses associated with the inclement weather over the autumn and winter and the use of the anchoring equipment beyond its intended design parameters.
In the UK the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) have identified a trend in the nature of anchoring equipment failures and have released a safety bulletin to the cruise industry to mitigate against further losses both in the short term and when the vessels return to normal operations.
Safety issues
- Ship’s masters should be proactive in heading to sea and not wait for the anchor to drag in strong winds before acting.
- Choice of anchor and amount of cable chosen should be varied to avoid single point loading.
- Ship’s masters should ensure they and their crew are aware of the reporting procedures to the coastal state in the event of losing an anchor.
- Anchoring equipment should be assessed before returning back into normal service due to the greater use of the anchors during this extraordinary period.
The four-page MAIB document may be downloaded here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6062ee7be90e072d97f8765b/2021-SB1-CruiseShipAnchorFailures.pdf
Picture caption
As if on guard at the former Li-Xin shipyard at Pudong, on the Huangpo River, East Shanghai.
Photo: PWR ©
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On 7 April the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) reported that multipurpose coastguard support via a remotely piloted surveillance system (RPAS) services had been provided at the request of the Romanian Border Police.
(See illustrations here from EMSA / Romanian authorities ©)
The RPAS system will support a number of authorities in Black Sea waters including the Romanian Naval Authority and National Agency for Fishing and Aquaculture.
It is understood that the mid-sized RPAS craft can stay in the air for up to seven hours and has a range of up to 200km. It is equipped with a camera capable of day and night operations, a sea surface scanner, a distress beacon detector and a sensor that can detect vessel positions. It can be used for a range of activities, including border control, monitoring naval traffic, search and rescue, and environmental protection. Data from the RPAS can be recorded and transferred to the EMSA RPAS data centre in real time, and then made immediately available to national authorities.
It is noted from the latest European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) Newsletter issued at the beginning of April that on 26 March, EMSA hosted an online workshop on shore-side electricity for port authorities and administrations.
EMSA reported that the event saw nearly 300 experts from different sectors of Europe and around the globe whose work is related to the development, certification and operation of shore-side electricity projects in ports.
The initial aim of the workshop was to gather feedback from stakeholders on the continuing guidance project on shore-side electricity, by encouraging an exchange of ideas and reaction to draft documents under consultation.
However, the scope was extended as registration exceeded expectations. This allowed for presentations to be given on other initiatives in the field currently being worked on. A contribution from the IMO and several interventions from international standardisation experts were of particular relevance to the work EMSA is currently conducting in this area for port authorities and administrations.
