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.

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has reissued a warning for the
industry to be aware of the dangers of counterfeit versions of ADMIRALTY charts and publications, after observing an increase in the number of counterfeit products in circulation.

These counterfeit items pose a significant danger to crew, vessels and cargo, as they have not been assessed by UKHO experts nor supplied by an authorized ADMIRALTY Chart Agent, who both perform vital quality assurance to ensure the integrity of information in genuine products.

AWP provide the inspectors newsletters as a channel for sharing both our inspectors observations for the wider community to learn from our experience and knowledge with the common goal of enhanced safety and operational awareness onboard.

The following data presents examples of vessels detained when serious deficiencies were pointed out during Port State Control (PSC) inspections carried out by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).

There is no doubt that the introduction of ECDIS has contributed to improving the safety of navigation. What seems to be apparent, however, is that the efficacy and safety of ECDIS depends largely on the ability of its user. In other words, how the user interacts with this system is key to its success in ensuring safe navigation.