November 13, 2009
The SOLAS amendments with respect to buddy lines and lifting loops on SOLAS life jackets and immersion suits are effective 1 July 2010.
The amendments do not fully define specific test criteria for buddy lines and lifting loops. The criteria for buddy lines is captured in the US comments in the ISO document No. 569 (see USMA web site) on the last two pages (7 & 8). It differs from the ISO criteria by what the upper limit is to agree with the UL criteria for separation of the buddy line. (more…)
November 13, 2009
Effective 1 July 2010, SOLAS requires infant jackets for passenger ships. The text below is taken from the IMO MSC 80 June 2006 Report (see US Marine Safety Association web site).
October 22, 2009
Coast Guard (a.) reminds Masters of requirement to report loss of main propulsion, (b.) advises of “lessons learned from casualty investigations and (c.) issued an internal policy letter clarifying and updating its Marine Inspector/Port State Control Officer (MI/PSCO) Certification Policy.
US Coast Guard Sector New Orleans issued a Marine Safety Information Bulletin reminding masters of the requirement to report the loss of main propulsion and other primary control systems immediately after addressing the resultant safety concerns. In addition, a written report must be submitted within five days. (10/16/09).
http://media.tmmarket.com/marex/media/pdf/USCG_Main_Prop_Reporting.pdf
November 21, 2008
From The Maritime Executive Magazine:
REC veteran Andy Hammond weighs in and cautions mariners to provide sufficient documentation that their medical condition is being treated properly AND that they could perform the normal duties of the license held or applied for.
When the Staten Island Ferry crashed into the dock in October of 2003 the investigation revealed a “system” that may have allowed a mariner to operate under the authority of their license, who was not physically competent to do so. While the regulatory licensing process may not have prevented Richard Smith (Captain) from taking Tremadol and Tylenol PM, which most likely caused him to pass out, resulting in a casualty that killed 11 people, it did prompt the Coast Guard to take a hard look at mariners and physical competency.
A major part of the license and MMD application process is providing documentation that you are physically competent to perform the normal duties of the license or rating applied for, including all emergency duties. There are very specific regulations with regard to visual acuity and color sense. However, the Coast Guard will make the final determination if your general physical condition is suitable to hold a credential.
November 3, 2008
From Your US Coast Guard:
“The U.S. Coast Guard is pleased to announce the availability of type-approved Automatic Identification System (AIS) Class B devices. These lower cost AIS devices are interoperable with AIS Class A devices and make use of expanded AIS messaging capabilities. Unfortunately, not all existing Class A devices are able to take full advantage of these new messaging capabilities. All existing AIS stations will be able to receive and process these new messages from a Class B device.
However, they may not be able to display all Class B information on their Minimum Keyboard Display (MKD) or other onboard navigation systems. In most cases, a software update or patch will be required to do so. Therefore, the U.S. Coast Guard cautions new AIS Class B users to not assume that they are being ‘seen’ by all other AIS users or that all their information is available to all AIS users. Further, the U.S. Coast Guard strongly recommends that all users of out-dated AIS software update their systems as soon as practicable.”
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