AWP Web Blog

On December 5, 2024, a 577-foot, foreign-flagged, vehicle carrier allided with a facility terminal while attempting to moor during inclement wind conditions. The incident resulted in structural damage to both the facility’s infrastructure and the vessel’s hull that exceeded $1,000,000.

Increased instances of issues with the carriage of scrap metal cargo highlights the need for vigilance at loading.

This increase has been noted particularly in scrap cargoes loaded in the ports of East Coast USA and notably in the port of Ghent (Belgium).

It is estimated that around 350 seafarers and 3rd party workers have been killed due to asphyxiation in enclosed spaces on ships since 1996. 43 accidents have occurred since 2022, accounting for 70 of these deaths.

Reminder on the dangers of watertight doors after a fatality onboard.

While witnessing routine testing of a fixed firefighting system during an annual exam aboard a foreign passenger vessel, the Coast Guard discovered multiple high-pressure water mist nozzles that were incapable of discharging water.

Reported DGPS signal issues potentially from the ongoing military activity in the Middle East is resulting in vessels not being able to meet the minimum number of position reference systems (PRS) for DP station keeping.

The Coast Guard was recently notified of several vessels whose mariners were unable to properly don their Viking PS2006 immersion suits. This issue was encountered across crew members of various sizes, all sizes of the PS2006 immersion suit (small, universal, and jumbo), and multiple manufacturing lots. Therefore, manufacturing date and/or body type alone should not be used to determine viability of these immersion suits.

The Coast Guard recently investigated an engine room fire on board an inspected towing vessel which led to the discovery of issues with the maintenance and installation of fire detection systems on board multiple towing vessels. During the investigation, several towing vessels were discovered to have defective heat detectors installed in their engine rooms.

A general cargo ship was berthed to load steel products. The ship had a gantry crane which ran on rails on the coaming each side of the holds and was used to lift or replace the hatch covers.

A recent marine casualty, resulting in a fire and severe injuries to two crewmembers, highlights the risks associated with Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), performing hot work in hazardous zones, and the necessity of maintaining a robust lockout/tagout program.