An unexpected incident occurred on board a bulk carrier nearing the completion of loading corn cargo, causing two fumigation contractors to asphyxiate and resulting the death of one contractor.

Working at sea is a demanding and challenging profession that requires constant attention to safety. One aspect often overlooked is the prevalence of finger injuries among seafarers. In the confined … Continue reading UNDERSTANDING AND PREVENTING FINGER INJURIES AT SEA

A stevedore on board a general cargo ship was fatally crushed between the gantry crane and a hatch cover during cargo discharge in Antwerp, Belgium. Despite no one witnessing the incident, it is believed that he positioned himself between the moving gantry crane and the hatch cover to check on his team’s progress working in the hold.

A dragging anchor incident caused a general cargo ship to collide with two nearby ships, resulting in structural damage to all three ships. Fortunately, no pollution or loss of life was reported.

The Britannia loss prevention team has produced a new safety video to raise awareness of safety issues for crew members working at height.

A seafarer lost his life after inhaling hydrocarbon fumes emitted from a bunker tank vent while the tanks were being heated.

A crew member suffered a fatal head injury on board a 20,236GT General Cargo Vessel

An incident on a 2,825 GT General Cargo ship resulted in the fatality of a Sea Pilot during a routine pilot transfer as the vessel was outbound.

A 43,472 GT bulk carrier ran aground on a charted shoal whilst on passage between the Philippines and Australia. The incident occurred after the vessel drifted from the track, with no audible or visual warnings given to the Officer of the Watch (OOW).

The Britannia loss prevention team is producing a new set of COLREGs posters, reiterating the principal parts of some of the rules in Part B of the COLREGs, Section II … Continue reading COLREGS POSTERS

A bulk carrier was to carry out cargo hold cleaning while drifting in preparation for its next cargo with the help of a riding team contracted from ashore. During the third day of washing the cargo holds, one of the riding team members fell approximately 17 metres down into cargo hold no. 5 and was found motionless on the tank top. The person was later pronounced dead.

A fully cellular 1,400 TEU container ship was on a voyage from Melbourne to Fremantle, Australia, when water was found in an underdeck passage. It transpired that during heavy weather the hatch access lid on the forecastle deck leading to the forecastle store had been ripped off and dumped on the windlass, allowing water ingress into the forecastle.

A multi-purpose carrier was about to anchor after leaving port carrying a cargo of various types of fertiliser in bulk as well as general cargoes when white smoke was noticed emitting from cargo hold no.3. After a failed attempt to extinguish the suspected fire using the ship’s fixed CO2 system and with the risk of an explosion due to the decomposition of the fertiliser, the ship was evacuated and later declared a total loss.

A refrigerated cargo ship had berthed in Southampton to discharge a cargo of fruit. On the day of arrival the local port state authorities had boarded the ship in order to conduct a Port State Control (PSC) inspection, which included a lifeboat drill.

A small ship was chartered to carry a cargo of corn on a short haul voyage in Europe. On completion of loading, aluminium phosphide was placed in the holds to fumigate the cargo in transit.

While at anchorage an electrician did not appear for dinner and consequently a search was initiated. He was later found trapped inside the vessel’s elevator shaft between the elevator’s counterweight and a protective beam, where he had been working earlier that same day.

The Boston Trader was moored in the port of Oran, Algeria. While the crew were securing the containers loaded on deck, one seafarer was hit on the foot by the lower end of a falling lashing bar, which resulted in a serious injury.

The second officer on a general cargo ship was fatally injured when he was crushed between the ship’s gantry crane and a stack of cargo hold hatch covers during post-cargo … Continue reading BSAFE CASE STUDY: FATAL CRUSH INCIDENT

This is a guide to help understand the meaning of Safety Leadership, and what qualities a leader has to possess in order to act as a role model and ensure that the safety culture is implemented from the top of the organization.

Whereas the traditional approach to safety is typically focused on analysing past undesirable events, Safety II is based on the principle of seeking to also learn from why things mostly go right, to help further develop an effective safety culture

Understand why no job can be regarded as merely routine when it comes to safety, and find out how to reduce the risks when carrying out routine tasks.

Ship safety – it is about you, the seafarer who lives and breathes safety. How do you rate your own and your colleagues’ safety performance and culture?