Incidents continue due to pedestal crane slewing gear's failure because of bearing wear, often leading to damage to equipment, cargo, significant repair delays and in events of catastrophic bearing failures, severe injury and fatalities. In many cases, the bearings fail with hook loads well below the crane's safe working load.

Following the loss of the Supramax bulk carrier BULK JUPITER in January 2015, with the tragic loss of 18 lives, the IMO Sub-Committee on the Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC), at its second session in September 2015 noted that the loss of the ship may have been caused by liquefaction of the cargo. Circular CCC.1/Circ.2 "Carriage of Bauxite which may Liquefy" was issued at that time to raise awareness to the potential risks posed by moisture in the carriage of Bauxite. Although Bauxite is described in the IMSBC Code as a Group C cargo, the potential for this cargo to liquefy was not specifically addressed in the Code.

Solid bulk cargoes that liquefy kill. Vessels and seafarers’ lives have been lost. The risk of liquefaction is well-known with a number of commonly carried cargoes, but incidents still happen.

OCIMF and ICS together with the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) have worked together over the past two years to revise and update the International Safety Guide for Tankers and Terminals (ISGOTT 6).

This Sixth Edition encompasses the latest thinking on a range of topical issues including gas detection, the toxicity and the toxic effects of petroleum products (including benzene and hydrogen sulphide), the generation of static electricity and stray currents, fire protection and the growing use of mobile electronic technology.

The carriage of methanol in bulk is becoming common in the offshore oil and gas industry, and although there is technical documentation on methanol handling, guidance for offshore carriage by sea is limited. Methanol is a hazardous chemical with significant toxic, flammable, and reactive properties that can adversely affect human health and the environment when not properly handled. This information paper from OCIMF and the Maritime Safety Forum (MSF) provides guidance for the safe loading, carriage and discharge of methanol by offshore support vessels.