passenger ships

Canada’s compulsory insurance for passenger ships: Where it applies

Canada has set into force the Compulsory Insurance Scheme for Ships Carrying Passenger, with effect from 11 January 2019. As such, a person who performs the whole or part of a carriage by ship must maintain liability insurance coverage for damages for death or personal injury caused by an incident that occurs in the course of the carriage.

Under these regulations, all commercial and public purpose ships engaged in the domestic carriage of passengers must maintain liability insurance coverage in...

https://safety4sea.com/canadas-compulsory-insurance-for-passenger-ships-where-it-applies/

Ro-Ro ferries: Dangers to truck drivers remaining in their vehicle cabs

UK MAIB issued a safety bulletin to inform of the dangers posed to freight vehicle drivers who remain in their vehicle cabs while on board Ro-Ro ferries at sea. The publication comes on the aftermath of  the shift and toppling over of freight vehicles onboard the P&O Ro-Ro passenger ferry ‘European Causeway’ during heavy weather while on passage from Larne, Northern Ireland, to Cairnryan, Scotland. MAIB is currently investigating this incident.

The incident

On 18 December 2018, European Causeway...

https://safety4sea.com/ro-ro-ferries-dangers-to-truck-drivers-remaining-in-their-vehicle-cabs/

Two passengers injured during tender boat transfer

The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) issued a safety alert concerning the safe transfer of passengers during tender boat operations. The publication came following a recent injury incident of two passengers during transfer on a tender boat.

The incident

A Bahamas-flagged passenger vessel was conducting routine passenger transfers back to the ship via the ship’s tender boat, when a large wave rocked the tender boat with such force that two passengers were seriously injured, one of which was thrown...

https://safety4sea.com/two-passengers-injured-during-tender-boat-transfer/

Two illegally-operating passenger charters criminally charged

Coast Guard has adopted an aggressive posture in order to mitigate illegal passenger charter activities, due to recent back-to-back law enforcement cases that took place in Florida. As smartphone applications make it easier for passengers to locate and hire charter vessels, USCG is making greater efforts in detecting illegal chartering activities and seeks maximum enforcement actions against the vessel owners and operators.

Mainly, in separate incidents in 2017 to 2018, the Coast Guard issued...

https://safety4sea.com/two-illegally-operating-passenger-charters-criminally-charged/

Japanese fast ferry said to collide with whale, 80 injured

A Japanese fast ferry is said to have been collided with a whale on March 9, off the coast of Sado Island, Japan, resulting to passengers’ injury. Japan Coast Guard and operator Sado Steam Ship believe that the object was a ‘marine animal,’ possibly a whale.

Specifically, the Niigata-Ryotso ferry is an ultra-fast vessel capable of making more than 40 knots, and its hull emerges fully from the water at operating speed.

While sailing to Sado Island, it experienced an sudden slowdown. Approximately,...

https://safety4sea.com/japanese-fast-ferry-said-to-collide-with-whale-80-injured/

More lava bomb-injured tourists sue tour boat operator

A group of tourists filed a lawsuit against the tour boat operator Lava Ocean Tours Inc., after its vessel ‘Hot Spot’ was hit by a lava bomb during a tour off Hawaii’s Big Island in July 2018, injuring several passengers onboard.

On 16 July 2018, a basketball-size chunk of molten rock, known as a ‘lava bomb’, crashed into the tourist boat, injuring 23 people who were there to watch lava flow off the Big Island.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of six passengers from California and Oregon this week,...

https://safety4sea.com/more-lava-bomb-injured-tourists-sue-tour-boat-operator/

USCG: Fines for illegal charter vessel operations

The US Coast Guard terminated the voyage of the 45-foot pleasure craft ‘Sea You Twerk’ with 14 passengers aboard Sunday in Biscayne Bay, Miami, after discovering multiple safety violations. With this respect, USCG reiterated potential fines for illegal charter vessel operations.

A Coast Guard Station Miami 33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement boatcrew conducted the boarding of the vessel in Biscayne Bay where they discovered the following violations:

  • Violation of 46 C.F.R. 176.100A for...

https://safety4sea.com/uscg-fines-for-illegal-charter-vessel-operations/

Port of New Orleans hits cruise passenger record

Following announcement that it set a new container volume record in 2018, the Port of new Orleans (Port NOLA) now informed that it also saw a new record in 2018 with 1,182,111 cruise passenger movements, up 2.3% compared to a year ago. A 23% surge in guests taking Mississippi River cruises helped buoy the total, with new and larger ships set to sail from New Orleans both in the Caribbean and on the River in 2019.

A recent economic impact study conducted by LSU’s E.J. Ourso College of Business...

https://safety4sea.com/port-of-new-orleans-hits-cruise-passenger-record/

Britannia P&I considers the benefits of CCTV cameras on vessels

Britannia P&I considers the benefits of CCTV cameras on board ships, as a number of visually recorded and publicised maritime incidents highlight the value of such recordings when investigating incidents and determine facts. Mainly, the recordings are of a big help when dealing with accidents that have occurred or have allegedly occurred. CCTV footage can make investigations easier, and also improve the possibility of more findings.

Specifically, according to Britannia P&I, the benefit of being...

https://safety4sea.com/britannia-pi-considers-the-benefits-of-cctv-cameras-on-vessels/

Russia agrees to IMO’s passenger compensation treaty

The Russian Federation has agreed to IMO treaty dealing with compulsory insurance that protects and covers passengers on vessels. Yury Melenas, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to IMO, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim to deposit the instrument of accession, on January 16.

Specifically, the 2002 Athens Convention is based on Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea. Moreover, the Convention sets limitations on the liability of the incidents on a vessel that involves...

https://safety4sea.com/russia-agrees-to-imos-passenger-compensation-treaty/

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