Monday Morning Coffee : A little reality to add to the caffeine…
A sampling of news, topics and trivia from across the internet. The crew here at the Maritime Safety Innovation Lab have compiled a few of the stories, trends, theories and anecdotes that crossed our inboxes, feeds and minds over the weekend.
New SOLAS requirements for towing and mooring equipment –
Regulation II-1/3-8 entered into force on 1 January 2024
The International Maritime Organisation’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) has recently implemented new requirements and issued related guidelines on towing and mooring equipment to improve the safety of seafarers during mooring and unmooring operations and to counter the increase of dangerous and sometimes fatal incidents.
These new requirements are incorporated in the amendments to SOLAS Regulation II-1/3-8 contained in Resolution MSC.474(102) and came into force on 1 January 2024. The amended regulation II-1/3-8 applies to passenger ships regardless of size and cargo ships on or over 500gt.
Owners (or ship managers) should establish the following onboard maintenance and inspection procedures:
- Procedures for mooring operations, inspection and maintenance of mooring equipment, including mooring lines.
- Procedures to allow the identification and control of mooring lines, tails and associated attachments.
- Periodic inspection of mooring lines, mooring line tails and associated attachments as part of the onboard maintenance plan or equivalent maintenance management system.
- Manufacturersʹ criteria for replacement of mooring lines should be available.
- Records of the original design concept, equipment, arrangements and specifications should be available on board.
When will surveyors verify the requirements?
The maintenance and inspection procedures above are required to be confirmed on board at the time of:
- Initial surveys completed on or after 1 January 2024 for new ships;
- First Cargo Ship Safety Construction survey (annual, intermediate or renewal), on or after 1 January 2024,
for existing ships; or - Passenger Ship Safety survey, on or after 1 January 2024, for existing ships.
How does trust effect our safety initiatives?
Trust is a tricky topic in the maritime industry. Remote work has been the norm long before COVID brought about the same shoreside. Vessel owners, charters and other shoreside entities have always worked at a distance from their vessels and communication was brief via telex or radio while at sea. As a result, a high level of trust with the captain and senior officers was necessary, as they made decisions about routing, cargo and personnel autonomously.
Crews are frequently made up for relatively short voyages of 60-120 days. In that time, they will depend on one another for daily chores, operations and, potentially, their life and limb. Creating a cohesive team in a short period of time requires a higher level of trust than people in similar trades shore side due to this shared peril.
And then we have the “crew” that come onboard for even shorter periods of mere hours to possibly a few days. These may be auditors, surveyors, security teams or harbor pilots. Think about that last one – a pilot boards a vessel, walks up to the bridge (or takes the elevator), conducts a master-pilot exchange and assumes the conn of a multi-million dollar vessel in mere minutes. The level of trust that has to be created between the pilot and master in a very short period of time is significant.
So, how do we create trust in all these scenarios? And for safety initiatives within a company?
- Competence –
- Communicate the rationale behind your decisions and actions.
- Involve your team in management processes.
- Ask insightful questions to encourage engagement and understanding.
- Admit what you don’t know and avoid pretending to have all the answers.
- Focus on learning, fostering an environment of continuous improvement.
- Presence
- Literally – be present. If a senior officer or company official is not available, then how can they be relied upon. Face-to-face meetings can be crucial to developing trust with remote team members.
- Appearances matter – be professional in dress
- Appearances matter – be professional in speech
- Appearances matter – be professional in body language
- Transparency – Trust is earned by saying what we will do, sharing why and delivering what we said we would — transparently. When things don’t work as expected (and every so often, they won’t), we explain and try again.
- Consistency – Consistency is crucial for establishing trust, developing habits, and cast relationships. When something is consistent, people can anticipate what to expect, leading to a sense of stability and dependability.
Trust and psychological safety are more important than ever in the maritime industry. How are you creating trust in your organization or on your vessel?
Gangway Safety – OSHA Guidance
The question was recently raised by a docking pilot in a Northeast United States port as to why the gangway net was rigged in the manner shown below. The short answer is, “Because it has to be by regulation.” The longer answer is for the safety of all embarking and disembarking the vessel.
29CFR § 1918.22 Gangways.
(a) Whenever practicable, a gangway of not less than 20 inches (.51 m) in width, of adequate strength, maintained in safe repair and safely secured shall be used. If a gangway is not practicable, a straight ladder meeting the requirements of § 1918.24 that extends at least 36 inches (.91 m) above the upper landing surface and is secured against shifting or slipping shall be provided. When conditions are such that neither a gangway nor straight ladder can be used, a Jacob’s ladder meeting the requirements of § 1918.23 may be used.
(b) Each side of the gangway, and the turntable, if used, shall have a hand rail with a minimum height of 33 inches (.84 m) measured perpendicularly from rail to walking surfaces at the stanchion, with a midrail. Rails shall be of wood, pipe, chain, wire, rope or materials of equivalent strength and shall be kept taut always. Portable stanchions supporting railings shall be supported or secured to prevent accidental dislodgement.
(c) The gangway shall be kept properly trimmed.
(d) When a fixed flat tread accommodation ladder is used, and the angle is low enough to require employees to walk on the edge of the treads, cleated duckboards shall be laid over and secured to the ladder.
(e) When the gangway overhangs the water so that there is danger of employees falling between the ship and the dock, a net or suitable protection shall be provided to prevent employees from receiving serious injury from falls to a lower level.
(f) If the foot of a gangway is more than one foot (.30 m) away from the edge of the apron, the space between them shall be bridged by a firm walkway equipped with a hand rail with a minimum height of approximately 33 inches (.84 m) with midrails on both sides.
(g) Gangways shall be kept clear of supporting bridles and other obstructions, to provide unobstructed passage. If, because of design, the gangway bridle cannot be moved to provide unobstructed passage, then the hazard shall be properly marked to alert employees of the danger.
(h) Obstructions shall not be laid on or across the gangway.
(i) Handrails and walking surfaces of gangways shall be maintained in a safe condition to prevent employees from slipping or falling.
(j) Gangways on vessels inspected and certificated by the U.S. Coast Guard are deemed to meet the requirements of this section.