fatigue

HRAS study on abandoned seafarers’ justice

Eight Indian seafarers have been abandoned in Walvis Bay, between the timeframe of one and two years, onboard the St. Vincent and Grenadines-flagged vessel, Halani 1. The abandonment resulted to seafarers’ suffering from fatigue and serious mental health problems. As a result, the UK-based Charity ‘Human Rights at Sea’ stated that Captain Amarjit Singh Bajwa first contacted the charity’s Iran-based researcher, Hajar Hejazi, to appeal for urgent help.

Specifically, Human Rights At Sea charity...

https://safety4sea.com/hras-study-on-abandoned-seafarers-justice/

MSC 100: Revised guidelines on fatigue approved

During its landmark 100th session, the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 100) approved revised guidelines on fatigue, which provide comprehensive information on the causes and consequences of fatigue, and the risks it poses to the safety and health of seafarers, operational safety, security and protection of the marine environment. The aim is to assist all stakeholders to contribute to the mitigation and management of fatigue.

IMO has considered the issue of fatigue for several decades,...

https://safety4sea.com/msc-100-revised-guidelines-on-fatigue-approved/

IMO MSC 100 agrees to tackle sulphur cap safety implications

IMO MSC 100 completed its milestone 100th session on 7 December. MSC 100 had a busy agenda encompassing maritime autonomous surface ships, fatigue guidance for seafarers, polar shipping, goal-based standards and of course the 2020 sulphur cap.

Fuel quality and safety

IMO MSC 100 considered a proposal that the issue of fuel oil safety, which is currently regulated under MAPROL Annex VI,  should be under MSC instead of MEPC, and possibly included into SOLAS.

Moreover MSC 100 concluded that it should...

https://safety4sea.com/imo-msc-100-agrees-to-tackle-sulphur-cap-safety-implications/

New report raises concerns over fatigue of Panama Canal tugboat Captains

The ITF issued a report investigating the relationship between captains’ fatigue and the operational safety of the Panama Canal, and the relationship between fatigue and the captains’ physical and mental health, after the Panama Canal’s decision to reduce the number of tugboat crew this year. Fifty-five captains, over a third of active captains in the Panama Canal, were interviewed for the study.

To remind, tugboat Captains refused to perform their operations in the Canal in early 2018 to...

https://safety4sea.com/new-report-raises-concerns-over-fatigue-of-panama-canal-tugboat-captains/

Fatigue, sleep deprivation major factors in Northwest accidents

Containment boom surrounds the partially submerged Kirby tug Nathan E Stewart, which ran aground in British Columbia on Oct. 13. Canadian Coast Guard photo.

Fatigue and sleep deprivation figure in about half of maritime accidents in the Pacific Northwest and manage to defeat even the most modern wheelhouse technology, experts said at the Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle.

“There is only one solution to sleep deprivation. It’s eight hours of sleep in 24 hours,” said Jerry Dzugan, director of the Alaska Marine Safety Association.

U.S. and Canadian investigators found lack of sleep was a central factor in the October 2016 grounding of the Kirby Offshore...

https://www.workboat.com/news/coastal-inland-waterways/fatigue-sleep-deprivation-major-factors-in-northwest-accidents/

Lessons learned from US maritime casualties in 2017

The NTSB issued its ‘Safer Seas‘ annual report providing an overview of key lessons to be learned from the most major maritime casualties, noting that many of the issues noted in last year’s reports were recurring topics, such as fatigue, poor bridge resource management, and distraction. The 41 marine accidents included in the report involved allisions, capsizings, collisions, fires, explosions, flooding, groundings, and equipment damage, resulting in loss of life, injuries, and significant...

https://safety4sea.com/lessons-learned-from-us-maritime-casualties-in-2017/

Learn from the past: MV Rena grounding

This October marked the seventh anniversary from New Zealand’s worst marine environmental disaster: The grounding of the Liberian-flagged container ship ‘Rena’ on the Astrolabe Reef resulted in a discharge of 200 tonnes of heavy fuel oil into the water, while it is acclaimed as the second most expensive salvage operation in maritime history.

https://safety4sea.com/cm-learn-from-the-past-mv-rena-grounding/

Fatigue Risk Management Guide issued for US towing industry

The American Waterways Operators, representing the US tugboat, towboat and barge industry, has released a new safety guide as the latest milestone in its two-decade effort to reduce the risk of fatigue-related accidents in the towing industry, working in cooperation with the US Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board, and internationally renowned sleep experts.

The guide, ‘Developing a Fatigue Risk Management Plan: A Guide for Towing Vessel Operators’, is produced under the...

https://safety4sea.com/fatigue-risk-management-guide-issued-for-us-towing-industry/

World Mental Health Day: It’s ok to not be ok

The World Health Organisation recognizes World Mental Health Day on October 10th every year to remind us the importance of awareness in a growing topic for the business world globally. In an era where most working people have less time and more stress, mental health has risen as a big topic for every industry, and the maritime world could not stay unaffected. Mental health issues in shipping industry relate to the nature of seafarers’ job which is characterized not only by intensive work hours,...

https://safety4sea.com/cm-world-mental-health-day-its-ok-to-not-be-ok/

SeaSense – Expert Thinking on Fatigue

Our special column, in association with The North of England P&I Club, sheds focus on  fatigue which is considered as a significant contributory factor to many incidents in shipping industry and one of the major concerns for seafarers. Latest MARTHA Fatigue Report revealed that fatigue has safety and long-term physical and mental health implications and long tours of duty (over 6 months) may lead to increased sleepiness, loss of sleep quality, reduced motivation which could contribute to...

https://safety4sea.com/cm-seasense-07/

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