Marine Incidents Research Articles

The Flag Insulted: U.S. Merchant Marine Incidents, 1865-1895

The Flag Insulted: U.S. Merchant Marine Incidents, 1865-1895

Analytical investigation of marine casualties at the Strait of Istanbul with SWOT–AHP method

The Strait of Istanbul is one of the most dangerous and busiest sea passages, according to its narrowness, sharp turns, currents, heavy traffic and many other important factors. Despite the latest precautions, marine incidents still occur, especially in narrow seaways. This study shows that a management tool that is specifically applied for reducing marine casualties and consequently enhancement of safety and ship management performance can be used to prevent accidents and casualties in maritime transportation. In this study, factors which affect marine casualties examined and determined with SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis method and weighting of the factors determined by using the AHP (analytic hierarchy process) method. With this approach, strategic action plans were developed for minimizing shipping casualties at the Strait of Istanbul, taking into account the weighting factors and previously happened accidents.

Industry Guidelines for the Forensic Investigation of Marine Incidents

Landmark court decisions concerning admissibility of expert testimony indicate that industry guidelines and standards are an appropriate source in the formulation and defense of expert opinions. When properly applied, such guidelines and standards provide experts with ample support in adversarial arenas. Review of the court's responsibility to determine scientific basis and expert opinions resulted in the Daubert decision (Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579 [1993]). This Supreme Court decision recognized the importance of the "scientific validity of the principles that underlie a proposed sub-mission" as the most critical item the trial judge must evaluate. Furthermore, the Daubert decision established the trial judge's duty to make a preliminary assessment pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 104(a) "of whether the reasoning or methodology underlying the testimony is scientifically valid." Many lawsuits involving injuries, deaths, or product defects rely on expert opinion. Thus, the reliability of experts, and the validity of the methodology used by the experts in arriving at their conclusions, must be carefully evaluated. It has been shown that the processes governing the development of industry guidelines and standards address these factors (Ruggieri 2004), providing a sound basis for expert opinions where such guidelines exist and are used. Although there are a growing number of development activities producing such guidelines and standards for land-based incidents, there is little in the way of corollary activities specifically addressing the marine arena. Many of the methods and investigative protocols identified in these land-based guidelines and standards can be made marine applicable; however, substantive technology, operational, and regulatory differences between the land-based and marine paradigms indicate that marine-specific guideline documents are needed for marine applications.

Consequences of underwater releases of LNG

AbstractThe potential outcome of marine incidents involving liquefied natural gas (LNG) is of significant interest, but most work has examined above‐waterline releases onto the sea surface. This paper examines the likely discharge rate and changes in hazard zones for underwater releases of LNG compared to surface releases. The discharge rate calculation for underwater LNG releases is more complex than that for the above‐waterline case because of the initial ingress of water into the LNG tank. The entry of water into the LNG storage tank will cause a small positive pressure in the tank and increase the LNG discharge rate through the hole. This report, which identifies some uncertainties, while discussing the sequence of development for such LNG incidents, would support planning for larger‐scale experimental projects. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2005

Comparison of Maximum Distance Metrics for Use in the Remote Sensing of Small Targets

There are many applications for small target detection in engineering: topographic mapping, infrastructure inventories, and pre-engineering design. Near shore marine applications include: mapping breakwaters, piers, navigation structures, pilings, and vessel traffic patterns. The application driving this research is the development of a surveillance system for the Canadian Coast Guard. As a result, a new and innovative application of small target detection techniques is being developed at the Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering, UNB, Canada. This work is being done in support of the development of a strategic decision making tool to be used to predict where in Canadian waters marine incidents are most likely to occur. Previous research in the use of hyperspectral imaging for search and rescue, resulted in the development of fast, nonparametric “spatio-spectral” template subpixel object detection algorithm. The results of this work are being adapted and enhanced for use with the new, commercial...

Consequences of liquefied natural gas marine incidents

AbstractThe liquefied natural gas industry in the United States is currently facing challenges in obtaining approvals for new receiving terminals. A factor of concern at public meetings relates to the potential hazards associated with marine transport accidents or terrorist events. The purpose of this study is to develop a range of well‐conceived maximum credible failure cases from accidental or terrorism causes and to predict hazard zones using a well‐validated model. Hazard zones that are presented in this paper tend to fall below many of the values previously quoted. Although additional experimental trials may be warranted, current results are of sufficient confidence to draw valid conclusions. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2005

Development and Application of a Methodology to assess the Adequacy of Search and Rescue on the River Thames

The Thames Safety Inquiry was a Public Inquiry that took place in the UK in 1999/2000. It recommended that the adequacy of Search And Rescue (SAR) be assessed using a systematic risk-based approach.This paper describes the development and application of a risk based methodology used to assess the adequacy of SAR resources, Riverside facilities and Onboard facilities that are in place to assist casualties following a range of marine incidents on the River Thames, and to propose improvements where these are required.The study established where there was a “Capability Gap” between the potential requirement for SAR and the current resources. Primary Options for improvement were identified as a way of addressing the Capability Gap, these were subject to Cost Benefit Analysis, in order to ensure that the most effective balance of SAR capability and cost could be achieved.The study also identified the need to change the way in which resources are managed, in order to ensure that the overall resources available for SAR can be effectively coordinated during emergencies.

ESTABLISHING MARINE ACCCIDENT CLASSIFICATION: A CASE STUDY IN TAIWAN

In this paper, we establish criterions for classifying marine accidents to integrate the navigation safety system of Taiwan. Together with unpredictable of marine accidents, the inaccuracy of maritime data in Taiwan makes marine incident information possess the characteristic of Gray message as described by Gray Theory. After analyzing the data of 107 marine incidents, we classified the accidents into four types by the Gray Clustering Method. The results revealed that the crew's negligence accounts for 93.5% for the cause of all accidents. Furthermore, 85.1% of crew's negligence is caused by senior crew. Through classifying marine accidents, this paper not only makes the port managers of port bureaus and insurance companies realize the damage levels of various kinds of marine accidents and their causes, but also provides the managers of harbor bureaus a basis to strengthen seamen's quality and management.

SUSTAINABLE SHIPPING: THE BENEFITS OF THE “SAFETY CULTURE” FAR OUTWEIGH THE COSTS

ABSTRACT An important challenge for the maritime industry is whether those involved in the transport of oil will embrace the concept that the “safety culture,” which includes protection of the environment, is “good business.” Ship owners/operators and others in the maritime business will adopt the safety culture when they believe in a “continuous and never-ending improvement process as a means to promote productivity and profitability.” Sustainable shipping requires the prevention of costly accidents and activation of “best response,” thus reducing environmental impacts if oil spills happen. Proactive safety management, creation of a quality system with accountability in each link, training of qualified mariners, and using the appropriate response technologies are examples of policy considerations needed to implement this culture. These policy goals should replace short-term thinking of profit maximization and crisis reaction. Safety saves dollars. Oil spills result in tangible, direct losses of life; injuries; and damage to the environment, cargo, and vessel. Direct costs measure only part of the total. Indirect and hidden costs are harder to quantify. They include, for example, reduced worker morale and productivity, eroding customer base, and in this litigious age, Natural Resource Damage Assessments (NRDAs), economic loss claims, increased insurance costs, fines, imprisonment of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and loss to the corporation for their services, public notoriety, lost opportunity, and many other similar losses. The indirect and hidden costs equate to an increase in direct costs, using a conservative multiplier of 2.7 to 1. Estimates of the total cost of all categories for all vessels involved in marine incidents annually are between $581 million to $1 billion. (Conversely, high quality safety management yields cost savings annually for industry of between $500 million and $1 billion, or an average for individual companies of $200,000). True cost accounting (measuring all costs—external, internal, hidden) translates to a better bottom line.

未然事故調査試行結果と事故との比較

未然事故調査試行結果と事故との比較

未然事故調査試行結果について

未然事故調査試行結果について

Some electrostatic considerations in the transportation of flammable liquids

AbstractThe transportation of flammable liquids in bulk quantities is a common operation in the chemical industry. Therefore a rather comprehensive set of regulations, standards, and recommended practices exists which govern how these operations should be performed. When transportation operations are performed in strict accordance with the directions given, occurrence of inadvertent ignitions have been rare, if nonexistent. On the other hand, there have been occasions when seemingly slight and innocuous deviations from the guidelines have been incorporated into an operation, resulting in catastrophic incidents. This paper discusses some of the guidelines concerning electrostatic ignitions of flammable liquids and illustrates specific case histories where such deviations have led to accidents. Two marine incidents, one rail car incident, and two tank truck incidents are presented in detail to amplify why strict adhrence to the regulations, standards and recommended practices is vital in operations where flammable liquids are transported.

What Are Vessel Traffic Services, and What Can They Really Do?

Vessel traffic services, referred to as VTS systems, are being used in many ports and waterways worldwide as a means to reduce operational and environmental risk in marine transportation. These objectives are achieved principally by providing information, rather than by following the aviation model of traffic control. Recent tanker accidents that caused major pollution incidents have precipitated public calls for expansion of VTS operations, including direct traffic control. This paper describes VTS operational concepts from the perspective of a former VTS director and provides a model for implementing VTS systems. It also examines the applicability and feasibility of passive and active measures that can be used by shore-based traffic regulators to prevent marine incidents and accidents in varying operational situations.

The requirement for the publication of detailed global marine casualties statistics†

Today, ships' seaworthiness, naigation and safety and the protection of the marine environment rank very highly among shipping political issues. Yet, the available published statistical data concerning marine casualties relate ony to ‘total losses’. Obviously, total losses are just the tip of a gigantic iceberg of marine incidents and a far more complete analysis of th causes, circumstances and consequences of all the major casualties recorded world-wide appears to be a prerequisite to the study of measures intended to improe the safety and cleanliness of shipping operations. Published statistics and existing databases in the field of marine casualties are examined and a number of remarks concerning the methodology underlying the current available statistical sources are presented. Some improvements are proposed and suggestions for combining the efforts of the various interested parties, probably under the aegis of IMO, in order to prepare and publish yearly statistical tables providing a comprehensive global analysis of major marine casualties are made.

Seasickness in totally enclosed motor-propelled survival craft: five offshore oil rig disasters : Landolt, J P, Light, I M, Greenen, M G and Monaco, CAviat Space Environ Med Vol 63 No 2 (1992) pp 138–144 (23 refs)

Five mobile offshore drilling unit disasters--Alexander L. Kielland, Ocean Ranger, Vinland, Ocean Odyssey, and Rowan Gorilla I--were studied to assess the degree to which seasickness occurs and endangers the lives of occupants of totally-enclosed motor-propelled survival craft (TEMPSC). Thousands of other peacetime marine incidents were reviewed and a literature search was conducted to assess the same seasickness problem. The one reported death in the Vinland abandonment appears to be the only one that could be associated, even remotely, with seasickness. It cannot be established whether or not seasickness contributed to the cause of death in the case of the Ocean Ranger victims, but it did occur in 75% or more of TEMPSC occupants in the other four rig disasters. It has occurred both in relatively calm waters of 1-m wave height and in severe seas of 15-m heights. Evacuees in an intact TEMPSC are able to survive many hours of severe seas; consequently, they should not be rescued until the weather and sea conditions improve. Moreover, practical survival training and good leadership is a principal cornerstone in the amelioration of seasickness.