The Dec. 30 accident that claimed the life of Sandy Hook pilot Capt. Dennis Sherwood prompted the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA) to address the International Maritime Organization (IMO), highlighting the dangers of a particular pilot ladder arrangement called the trapdoor. Pilots from other organizations also have called for enhanced pilot safety measures from the IMO and member states, particularly in regard to the trapdoor arrangement like the one on Maersk Kensington, the containership from which Sherwood fell.
Trapdoor arrangements require a pilot to ascend a ladder to a platform, then climb to the deck via a separate accommodation ladder. The pilot ladder arrangement used on Maersk Kensington “involved a trapdoor … with the pilot ladder hanging from a bar near the bottom of the platform, and the top step of the pilot ladder significantly below the level of the platform,” said IMPA President Capt. Simon Pelletier in an address to the IMO on Jan. 17.
“This controversial trapdoor arrangement has long been considered unsafe by pilots,” Pelletier also said in the statement.
An IMO media representative directed questions about proposed pilot safety regulations to the IMPA. Current safety guidance on pilot transfer arrangements, enforced by IMO member states and contained in SOLAS Chapter V, Regulation 23, entered into force in July 2012.
Since January 2015, the U.S. Coast Guard has investigated seven incidents involving pilot ladders. These incidents resulted in seven injuries and one fatality, according to Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. Amy Midgett.
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Mariner's role still unknown as autonomous shipping gains speed
Mariners’ role still unknown as autonomous shipping gains speed
Piracy edges closer to home with wave of raids in southern Gulf
In the brief cellphone video recorded by a crewmember on the offshore supply vessel (OSV) Remas, the pirates walk back and forth on the deck of the ship, clenching their guns and using them to point as they order around the crew. Their faces are draped in clothing and bandanas.
Casualties
NTSB: Dredge hit Texas gas pipeline, causing fire that killed four
IMO emissions report raises new concerns about methane slip
A recent report from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) reveals that global shipping emissions increased nearly 10 percent from 2012 to 2018, with the industry facing a growing challenge concerning methane slip.
Bay State brothers find industry niche by making old into new
Zero non-conformities is what you want to hear when the U.S. Coast Guard inspects your tugboat. Once you’ve prepared your vessel, the inspectors come aboard to peruse your paperwork. They ask you pointed questions, to which they expect straightforward answers. Perusal completed, they then scrutinize all of the related safety systems, from bilge to antennas — even the ship’s bell.
Signals
A year into the pandemic, thousands ‘essentially indentured’ on ships
Analysis points to faulty loading, low ballast in Golden Ray rollover
While the salvage of the sunken vehicle carrier Golden Ray has been delayed for months due to COVID-19 and the hurricane season, analysis by the U.S. Coast Guard has determined a possible cause for the rollover: a combination of vehicles placed too high on the ship’s decks, and not enough ballast water gave the placement of the cargo.
Seastreak newcomer pushing through dip in demand
Two years ago, Seastreak LLC took delivery of Seastreak Commodore, a 600-passenger fast ferry, from Gulf Craft of Franklin, La. Designed by Australia-based Incat Crowther, the vessel is the largest of its kind in the United States and was built to meet the burgeoning demand for service in the New York-New Jersey market.
New year in a new world: Navigating COVID's maritime realities
In a matter of days, the decorative time balls will drop, “Auld Lang Syne” will fill the air, and ships at anchor will sound their horns as the world welcomes in the new year.
Advanced props, rudders provide new efficiencies below the waterline
It took a decade or two from the invention of the marine propeller in the 19th century for the technology to become widely accepted. Thereafter, adoption has been nearly universal, but progress toward improved efficiencies has come in fits and starts.
