Special Maritime Safety Edition - gCaptain + Humberto, Ingrid and Nari!

Special Maritime Safety Edition This edition of the gCaptain Newsletter is dedicated to mariners presently at sea. We have put together stories, articles and links to help return your guys to their families with nothing more than a slight limp from bulging wallets and a strained face from the smiles on their faces. Your job... read the articles then forward this newsletter to 5 of your friends . Trust us, their families will thank you! Awe Nuts! By the Artful Blogger Another day of reviewing incident reports. It never ceases to amaze me, how many of these tragedies could have been avoided. Yes, I judge. It's my job. OK, it's real easy to play the critic; to stand outside of the barrel, pointing inside, and say, "Gee, that's messed up." It's a lot safer than being "in" the barrel. Here's a quick list of incidents. See if you can figure out what they all have in common; then, we'll talk: I Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) was launched. It entered the water along with a section the boat davit. A twenty pound roller fell fifty feet from an oil derrick. A tanker grounded in Long Beach after suffering a steering failure. Earlier this summer a large US Flag passenger / vehicle ferry experienced a catastrophic failure of its main electrical switchboard. Recently a Great Lakes bulk cargo vessel suffered a boiler tube rupture resulting in a boiler casing failure which injured two crewmembers. The tube failure was not unique and the boiler casing should have contained and channeled the steam out the stack. Click Here for the Artful Blogger's answer More from The Artful Blogger: Bravo on My Watch One Hand - EPIRB Failure What is the single most import piece of electronics aboard your ship? For me it's the EPIRB. If all else fails the EPIRB should get my position to the RCC . We only reserve the term "One Hand" for our most important stories that require Your Help and this is one of the most important articles written in gCaptain's short history. The following are the details from Chief Engineer Robert Stormer: "We wish to alert our readers to the story of the sinking of the f/v Papa George. Seems we have another boat that had a possible malfunction of its EPIRB. Only this time there were two deaths involved. We cannot stress how these types of incidents impact everyone in the maritime community. So we are putting out a maritime wide alert and request for information. " Read More for the Details... The Case Of The Killer Catch - Special Edition MAC Report Bob Couttie sent us an email yesterday announcing a Special Edition of his Maritime Accident Casebook (MAC). Why did he release this issue early? ….because it's a look at lifeboat safety and more specifically the details of a recent incident that claimed the life of three maritime officers, a bosun and cadet. Read the full post the head over to Bob's site and subscribe to his Maritime Accident Podcast. More from MAC: What is the most dangerous place aboard ship?. A Call For Help At gCaptain we are committed to bringing important topics to the eyes of the shipping industry. Robin Stormer is a Chief Engineer but has a passion for Severe Weather. Bob Couttie is a writer with a passion for maritime safety. The Artful Blogger is an engineer with a passion for writing. What is your passion? We are looking for mariners and industry personnel who have a passion for (fill in the blank). If you work in the maritime industry, have a specialty or passion and would like to write about then hit reply to this email and attach your article or story. Entries are accepted regardless of writing ability, skill level or position. gCaptain editors will correct or investigate any errors and publish your story to our blog. Not interested in writing? Find an article on the web and email it to us or submit it directly to our News Discoverer. Many Thanks This Newsletter was made possible with help of the Maritime Executive Newsletter, Robin Storm, Maritime Accident Casebook, Fred Fry's Maritime Monday and all our fellow maritime bloggers. CLICK HERE for more information on our partners.

In this issue: Incident Reports: Awe Nuts Lifeboat Failure EPIRB ALERT Firefighting Safety: Firefighter's MAYDAY The Dangers of CO2 Assets and Deficits From The Archives : Radar Out? Man Down Alarm Getting Enough Sleep? Call his boss! Rogue Waves Viral Video : Windoc Incident Ship Demolition - oops Poorly Named Ship Communication Emma Maersk Fire Photo Essays : Pasha Bulker Grounding Maritime Disaster Photos MSC Napoli Empress of the North Discover Safety News: Maersk Ship Aground Pepito Lifeboat Tragedy EPA Paint Alert Lost Cargo Hatch Forum Posts: EPIRB Malfunctions Anti-Piracy Table License Insurance Discoverer Bookmarklet Have you found an important safety alert or article on the web? Visit our Discoverer Bookmarklet page to find out how to submit stories to us fast and easy. Weekly Quiz Who sent the first wireless distress call? Pass it on Safety is paramount. Please foward this to 5 friends and your safety coordinator OR let us forward up to five spam free copies. iPhone Contest We are giving away an iPhone to the gCaptain reader who submits the most voted on story to our Maritime News Discoverer. For details CLICK HERE. Maritime Industy Search Engine Shop gCaptain Visit our store for some great Anchor Logo t-shirts, stickers and more. Supporters YOUR AD HERE Vote For This Newsletter Subscribe to our feed

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Weather Story
Hurricane Humberto

Fast-forming Hurricane Humberto hit the Texas-Louisiana border area killing at least one person, shut down three refineries and cut power to more than 100,000 customers. It had been expected to hit land as a tropical storm, but suddenly strengthened into an 137-kph hurricane before coming ashore.

From FEMA

Tropical Depression Humberto will continue to weaken as it tracks northeast and then east today. Its main impact will be the rainfall (1-2 inches) and flooding as the moisture interacts with the stationary front over the Carolinas. Check the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center ( http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/pmdspd.html ) for the latest information Flood watches are in effect for parts of central and northern Mississippi. Flood warnings are in effect for portions of the Vermilion River in Louisiana. These rains will at least allow for some relief across drought stricken areas of the southeast.

Here's a story of note :

"The Coast Guard would like to strongly remind the maritime community and boating public to track the storm’s progress and take early action to protect themselves and their vessels. Extremely high seas, heavy rains and damaging winds that accompany tropical storms and hurricanes present serious dangers to mariners. Rescue and assistance by the Coast Guard and other agencies may be severely degraded or unavailable immediately before, during and after a devastating storm."

Coast Guard rescues man stranded by Humberto

Tropical Storm Ingrid

At 5:00 am EDT the center of Tropical Storm Ingrid was located near latitude 15.1 north, longitude 49.2 west or about 805 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.

Ingrid is moving toward the west-northwest near 7 mph and this motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours.

Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with higher gusts. Some slight strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours.

Tropical storm force winds extend ward up to 50 miles from the center. Based on the current warning the system will be approximately 400 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico at 2:00 am EDT on Wednesday 19 September.

Typhoon NARI



Bushman has the track on NARI

MARITIME NOTES Thanks Dennis!

Hearing on cruise ship security

On September 19, the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation will conduct an oversight hearing on Cruise Ship Security Practices and Procedures. (9/12/07).

Singapore – piracy and armed robbery off Somalia

The Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) issued a circular reminding owners, operators, and masters of the continuing threat of piracy and armed robbery against ships in waters off the coast of Somalia. Shipping Circular No. 16 of 2006 (9/12/07).

UK – report on shipping container collapse

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) issued the report of its investigation of the collapse of shipping containers on a container ship in the Baltic Sea on 26 February 2007. The investigation revealed what appears to be a systemic problem with the rapid loading of containers, allowing minimal time for the ship’s officers to determine whether the loading is being done in accordance with the load plan and to calculate the effect of the loading on ship stability, among other factors. The report recommends development of a best practice safety code and other industry-wide changes. Report No. 21/2007 (9/13/07).

U.S. Notice to Mariners Number 33-2007 (2007-08-18)

Keep Posted!

RS