Case Alerts
Ship idling refers to the practice of a shipowner to temporarily suspend a ship from operation. In order to reduce costs, shipowners will try to reduce the manning of idle ships, especially when ships are anchored or moored to the shore, and the mobility of ships is limited.
Focus on
Typical accident cases
The potential safety risks of idle ships
Security management recommendations
Typical accident cases
Typical accident case 1
On September 18, 2023, the ship "Shun**" owned by a shipping company and Lin Moumou in Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone caught fire in the utility room on the first floor of the living area during the idle anchorage in the Guanchong waters of Yamen Waterway, causing a partial fire in the utility room and the corridor on the first floor of the living area.
Figure: The fire situation of the "Shun**" wheel
Cause analysis
After investigation, the "Shun**" ship was idle and anchored for a long time, the ship's facilities and equipment lacked maintenance, and the wires in the utility room on the first floor of the living area were aging and short-circuited, igniting nearby combustibles, resulting in a fire on the ship. The investigation also found that only two sailors remained on board at the time of the incident, which could not meet the requirements of the ship's watch.
Typical accident case 2
On August 19, 2020, under the influence of Typhoon "Higos", two ships owned by Guangxi XX Logistics Co., Ltd., which were idle and anchored in the Guanchong waters of Yamen Waterway, "He *1" and "He *2" ships, were anchored and collided with the "Jinyuan*" ship owned by Lianyungang XX Shipping Co., Ltd. Subsequently, the three ships touched a nearby pier under construction and ran aground. The accident caused 123 pipe piles to be damaged at the wharf under construction, and 3 ships were damaged to varying degrees.
Pictured: The "He*1" ship, the "He*2" ship and the "Jinyuan*" ship touch the pier under construction
Cause analysis
In addition to the objective factor of being affected by the strong typhoon "Higos", the main reason for this accident was that the two ships "He*1" and "He*2" were bow-to-stern and anchored in the waters during the idle period. In addition, the anchorage position of the "He*1", "He*2" and "Jinyuan*" ships was not selected properly, and anchoring occurred during the typhoon.
The potential safety risks of idle ships
(1) Idle ships are anchored or fastened to the shore for a long time, and the maintenance and inspection of anchoring equipment and cables are not in place, and under the influence of typhoons and floods, ships are prone to broken cables and anchors, and there are safety risks such as ship collisions and bridges.
(2) There are only a small number of crew members left on board, or even the personnel left behind on board do not have any crew certificates, do not have the qualifications and skills to operate and drive the ship, and cannot meet the needs of responding to possible emergencies; they also lack the skills to maintain equipment, the maintenance of machinery and equipment is not in place, and the technical condition of the ship is poor, so that it is impossible to ensure that the ship can move the ship in time in case of sudden emergency; and even some of the wires and pipelines are seriously aged, which is very easy to cause fire accidents.
(3) The ship cannot correctly display the signal type according to the regulations, and the AIS equipment cannot be guaranteed to be in the normal open state, and there is a risk of ship collision.
(4) Ships directly discharge garbage, domestic sewage, and other pollutants into the water, causing a serious impact on the ecological environment.
(5) The anchorage position of the ship is improper, and the anchoring order is chaotic, which hinders the navigation safety of other ships.
(6) The left-behind personnel are accustomed to unsafe behaviors on board, or they drink heavily on board, and their safety awareness is lax, and they are prone to overboard accidents.
Security management recommendations
Ship idling can reduce expenses and costs, but safety risks cannot be eliminated. In order to ensure the safety of idle ships, shipping companies and crew members should do the following:
(1) The main responsibility of the shipping company should be implemented
1. Strengthen safety management.
Shipping companies should earnestly implement the main responsibility of production safety, strengthen the safety management of idle ships, and ensure that ships hold valid statutory certificates. Ships need to be staffed with watchmen who comply with regulatory requirements to ensure that they are able to respond to possible emergencies.
2. Properly place the ship.
The shipping company shall entrust a qualified custodian to do a good job in the custody of idle ships, and sign a custodian agreement with the custodian to clarify the responsibilities and obligations of both parties. If there is a dedicated mooring area, the ship shall be subject to the management of the local government or maritime department, and the ship shall be berthed in the designated special waters. It is strictly forbidden for ships to anchor idly in narrow or curved sections, waterways, harbor basins, bridge waters, ferry waters, waters where main and tributaries meet, forked river estuary, or other waters that hinder the navigation of other vessels, as well as drinking water source protection areas.
3. Strengthen shore-based support.
Shipping companies should increase investment in safety, provide sufficient spare parts and materials and shore-based support for ships, guide crew members to do a good job in the inspection and maintenance of machinery and equipment, and ensure that ships are in good technical condition.
4. Strengthen training and education.
It is necessary to strengthen the safety training of seafarers, regularly carry out warning education on typical accident cases, continuously enhance the safety awareness of seafarers, and improve the emergency response ability and level of seafarers.
(2) The crew should perform their duties in place
1. Do a good job of inspection and maintenance of equipment.
The crew should strengthen the anchor chain and cable, strengthen the daily inspection and maintenance of the anchor chain, windlass, cable and other equipment, prevent the ship from breaking the cable and anchoring, and regularly inspect the mechanical and electrical equipment of the engine room to ensure that the mechanical equipment can be used at any time in the event of an emergency.
2. Implement safety precautions.
During the period affected by typhoons and floods, it is necessary to pay close attention to meteorological and hydrological information and do a good job of safety precautions. The anchor chain should be loosened long enough, and double anchors should be thrown if necessary, and the main and auxiliary engines should be prepared in the engine room, and the rudder should be used at any time to cooperate with the headwind and top current. When necessary, choose safe waters to anchor and shelter from the wind.
3. Earnestly perform duty duties.
During the idle anchorage period of the ship, the crew shall earnestly perform their duty on duty, keep the AIS equipment in normal working condition, and display the signal type according to the regulations. Regularly inspect the ship, understand the surrounding situation of the ship and the hull situation, and do a good job in checking the electrical circuits to prevent fires caused by circuit overload, short circuit, aging and other reasons. It is strictly forbidden to work in violation of regulations without permission, and do a good job of safety precautions against fire, wind and collision.
4. Properly dispose of pollutants.
Strictly abide by the anti-pollution regulations, take the initiative to hand over ship pollutants such as ship garbage and domestic sewage to the pollutant receiving unit for reception and treatment, and make records.
5. Pay attention to personnel safety precautions.
Personnel should grasp the handrails and wear life jackets when facing the water in the cabin, and should not wear slippers or walk barefoot on the cabin surface. Do a good job in the control of personnel on board, and unrelated personnel are not allowed to board the ship. Personnel on board are not allowed to drink alcohol to avoid falling overboard after drinking. Life jackets should be worn when driving the traffic boat, personnel should not get on and off the boat with the boat, and should avoid using the traffic boat at night as much as possible.
6. Report abnormal situations in a timely manner.
In the event of abnormal situations such as broken cables, anchors, and fires, the ship should call the 12395 water rescue number in time and report to the maritime department.
Source: Shipping Safety Update
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