In SwedishRegulars
She wants structured inspections
More participation when international norms are written and more engagement when new ships are built. This is the way forward for long-term improvements to the work environment onboard according to Laila Danielsson, ship inspector at the Swedish Transport Agency in Göteborg.
After more than 15 years as an inspector at the Swedish Work Environment Agency, [...]
Replacement boat resulted in injury
A restaurant business in the archipelago had a boat for transporting its clients, but while this was in for inspection another boat was hired for the purpose. The replacement boat was not adapted for gangways and other devices that were designed for the original boat. Ordinary wooden pallets were used (of which one was damaged) [...]
Bank effect contri-buting factor in collision
A passenger ship was entering a canal and continued its passage after a passing a lock. Further ahead was a guest harbour for private boats. Beyond the harbour there was an old bridge abutment where the canal narrowed to about 14 metres. After leaving the lock the crew noticed that there was a sailing boat moored by the bridge abutment. Speed was reduced and the ship kept to starboard in the canal to clear the sailing boat.
Moulding of spelter sockets on wire ropes
During the inspection of a hoistable suspended deck on a RoRo ship it was discovered that the wire rope ends had started to slip out of the closed spelter sockets.
Leadership onboard – a challenge, with many involved
Working with leadership onboard a passenger ship is different from working with leadership in the office ashore. At the office the same manager arrives every day and exercises his leadership in his own special way. Among the officers onboard we have three people who share every post in order to put together the relief systems. [...]
Disagreement about resting time when STCW was pushed through
The midsummer diplomatic conference in Manila pushed through a revised version of the STCW on 25 June (standards of training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers 1978, as amended in 1995 and 1997).
In 2006 the IMO decided to revise the STCW and after a number of meetings, workgroups and correspondence groups, the final result has now [...]
The parts and the whole
In recent years, however, the concept of work environment has undergone a healthy development. The realisation has spread that it is about so much more than the issues focused on earlier; it is now widely accepted that the work environment encompasses people as a whole and how we feel.
Year of Seafarer
2010 has been declared the Year of Seafarer by the UN safety organ IMO (International Maritime Organization). Ashok Mahapatra, manager of the section for Maritime Education and human resource issues at the IMO headquarters in London, says that the main reason for this declaration is to direct attention to the world’s one and a half [...]
Tank explosion during loading of oil
When a mate was loading vacuum gas oil on a cold winter evening an alarm was heard, indicating high pressure in one of the two tanks which were being filled. After the alarm had been noted, the watch seaman was sent out to check whether the pressure relief valve was working. Since he saw gas streaming out of it, the seaman assumed that the valve was working, which he told to the mate.
Faulty reconstruction lead to overfilling
When the ship was refueling it became apparent that it had been overfilled and oil ran out from the starboard side. Filling was immediately stopped and all necessary measures were taken. The relevant authorities were contacted and cleaning was initiated, but despite these measures approximately 600 litres of diesel oil ran out.
Broadband radar does not fulfil requirements
A new type of radar called broadband radar, mainly intended for leisure boats and smaller ships, has been launched on the market. This type of radar differs from traditional radar in that it transmits continuously and not in pulses. It is not compatible with radar beacons and transponders, and does not show racon signals or SART signals (signals from life rafts, for example).
Explosion onboard led to burn injuries
A woman was walking along the quayside where a fishing boat was moored and heard a bang. A person in flames came out of a door in the boat. The woman shouted to the person to jump into the water, which he did. The woman then called for help from other people nearby and they all helped to pull the burned person out of the water. After some time the injured person arrived at a hospital and was given intensive care.
Insjö will change name and reward reporters
The Swedish maritime industry has a reporting system for accidents and near accidents called Insjö/Foresea, which is specially adapted to the internal ISM system that many shipping companies must have.
Milla’s darkness saves sleep
The days of black plastic bags and cardboard covering the portholes on the Bro Anton are now over. Thanks to the steward, Camilla Högberg, there are now specially sewn blackout curtains with an elastic edge which can be easily stretched over the portholes. Camilla was recently rewarded with 20,000 kronor by the Foundation for Swedish Seamen for her inventiveness.
Leadership is the theme of the year
Being a good leader and a good manager can be a heavy challenge, not least on a ship. As a captain you must live with your decisions around the clock; you must be clear and decisive when required, but at the same time you are part of the social community onboard.
Fredrik Warrebäck is responsible for both work environment and safety
As ship safety officer, Fredrik Warrebäck is in charge of work environment activities onboard. The job is no one-man show, however, and he works in close cooperation with the chief safety officer who represents the different departments.
Review of the STCW convention coming to a close
The IMO has made great progress with the review of the current edition of the STCW convention (Standards of training, certification and watchkeeping). A few items remain to be solved before the diplomat conference the week before midsummer, when the new version will be officially adopted.
The revision will make it easier and clearer to interpret [...]
MOB boat fell with crew in
During an exercise with a man overboard boat (MOB boat) one of the crewmembers happened to pull the handle for releasing the hook (A in the picture). The boat fell 14 metres down to the surface of the water, hitting the davit on the way down and tipping out three of the crew into the water.
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Defective lifebuoys causing problems
The problem with defective lifebuoys which fill with water after the foam in them has collapsed is larger than first envisaged. All the signs indicate that it is the manufacturing method which causes the problem. We are aware of three types and makes in which the foam has collapsed.
Mistaken instrument reading led to grounding
The investigation by the Marine Department indicates that the most probable explanation is that the skipper mistook the rudder angle indicator for the yaw indicator. Both instruments look very similar and indicate values on a display unit.
