safe navigation

Lessons Learned: Ro-ro runs aground after not double-checking passage plan

The 2020 Navigational Claims report by the Swedish Club is focusing on a ro-ro vessel which eventually grounded due to the fact that the Master and the Navigation Officer did not implement a passage plan.

The Incident

A 50,000 GT ro-ro vessel was conducting its loading operations in a European port, while the Navigation Officer had prepared the passage plan for the next port of call in central America. Before departure, the Master received weather routing for the passage which suggested a route...

https://safety4sea.com/lessons-learned-ro-ro-runs-aground-after-not-double-checking-passage-plan/

Ten tips to improve situational awareness onboard

The Nautical Institute issued its newest edition of The Navigator focusing on the importance of Situational Awareness as a key component of safe navigation. Maintaining good situational awareness can be challenging and there are many things on a bridge that can cause distraction or overload.

In addition, human vision is not perfect and needs to be complemented with other tools such as radar, AIS, and even listening to VHF radio traffic, notes David Patraiko FNI, Director of Projects, The...

https://safety4sea.com/ten-tips-to-improve-situational-awareness-onboard/

USCG requests comments on Massachusetts and Rhode Island port access route study

The US Coast Guard published in the Federal Register a request for comments on the draft Offshore Massachusetts and Rhode Island Port Access Route Study. The goal of the study, which was conducted from 26 March to 15 December 2019, is to enhance navigational safety in the study area by examining existing shipping routes and waterway uses.

To accomplish this goal, the Coast Guard has undertaken measures to determine what, if any, navigational safety concerns currently exist with vessel transits.

Th...

https://safety4sea.com/uscg-requests-comments-on-massachusetts-and-rhode-island-port-access-route-study/

Practices for safer e-navigation operations

While incidents at sea continue spreading ahead, a primary cause is the failure to check properly the operation of electronic navigational aid(s), Skuld Club reported. In order to avoid such accidents, the bridge team must be fully aware of the operating principals and each equipment in use and verify the factors that may impact the accuracy of the information displayed.

Skuld Club highlighted the best practices that bridge team needs to follow, when operating radars.

Since the failure of the...

https://safety4sea.com/practices-for-safer-e-navigation-operations/

Book of the month: A comprehensive manual to safe navigation

Navigating may be a challenging task on a sunny day, but what happens when mariners must guide their boat through the darkest night or the thickest fog? Either way, radar is a must-have tool for safe navigation but a complex task if you don’t know how to use it.

An educational book entitled ‘Radar for Mariners’ comes to serve every mariner operating either powerboats or sailboats on the proper use of radar, the most valuable electronic navigation tool showing not only where you are, but who else...

https://safety4sea.com/cm-book-of-the-month-a-comprehensive-manual-to-safe-navigation/

GPS smoothing: How to remove discrepancies in received positions

Knowing exactly where we are at each time is a key component of safe navigation and the use of GPS and ECDIS provide this capability nowadays, but the continuing trend to rely solely on this means of navigation rather than to cross-check with other independent and reliable navigation techniques introduces a significant risk, CHIRP notes.

Several incidents reported by CHIRP related to the discrepancy due to settings of the GPS – specifically the smoothing.

In this regard, CHIRP provides a simple...

https://safety4sea.com/gps-smoothing-how-to-remove-discrepancies-in-received-positions/

Stena Estrid: Captain highlights difficulties faced during storm Brendan

In fact, Captain Matt Lynch was interviewed on BBC News talking about Stena Estrid’s maiden voyage during storm Brendan.

Captain Lynch said that the weather conditions were very severe for the last couple of days so departure from Hollyhead had to be timed to ensure that “were able to make an arrival straight into Dublin” when the worst of the weather conditions were expected.

What is more, the Captain highlighted that in its maiden voyage, the Stena Estrid experienced sea conditions of about 5...

https://safety4sea.com/stena-estrid-captain-highlights-difficulties-faced-during-storm-brendan/

Japanese partners to study collision avoidance algorithms

Japanese shipping company MOL announced a joint study with three com-patriot partners on collision avoidance algorithms and autonomous collision avoidance. The study, to be named ‘Focus Brain’ is aspiring the development of Artificial Intelligence for autonomous navigation.

The company, along with MOL Marine; the National Maritime Research Institute of National Institute of Maritime, Port and Aviation Technology; and Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, have signed a contract to...

https://safety4sea.com/japanese-partners-to-study-collision-avoidance-algorithms/

Five US offshore companies propose offshore wind project

Five U.S. offshore wind companies made their recommendation to the US Coast Guard(USCG), in order to adopt a uniform layout of wind turbines, placed at north to south columns and east to west rows. The project goals to offer safer navigational corridors to fishermen or other maritime users, when passing through one area to the other.

Spaced one nautical mile apart, all the turbines will allow a safer transmit from one point of the New England’s wind energy area to the other. “This 1×1 nm layout...

https://safety4sea.com/five-us-offshore-companies-propose-offshore-wind-project/

Argentina issues new regulations for navigation

Argentina’s regulatory body on safety and environment, REGINAVE, launched some new changes providing the ability to the Argentinean Coast Guard to impose fines on foreign seafarers and shipowners for breaches of maritime and environmental laws. This comes in addition to the level of fines which has severely increased.

Specifically, REGINAVE (Maritime, River and Lake Navigation Regime) is the main regulatory body concerning navigation in Argentina, relating to safety of individuals, vessels and...

https://safety4sea.com/argentina-issues-new-regulations-for-navigation/

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