There are many definitions of a “good” ship operator. “Somebody who does what is right, without regulatory pressure or mandatory provisions” might be as good a definition as you can find.
One of the real scandals which has disfigured marine safety for several years has been the terrible loss of life and serious injury that has occurred with accidents involving lifeboats and launching mechanisms, mostly involving the on-load release hooks which seemed such a good idea at the time. It took far too long for the industry to agree the mandatory guidelines for the release and retrieval systems now found in
MSC.1/Circ.1392; several years of fruitless arguing, during which time a lot more seafarers and others were killed and injured…
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It’s a fact that some ship types are endemically more vulnerable to disaster than others.
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The United States has granted Royal Dutch Shell conditional approval of its plan to begin drilling exploratory wells in the Beaufort Sea, off the North Slope of Alaska, next summer.
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As one who is dwelling in life’s twilight years, it is difficult not to be sensitive to all the angry articles about irresponsible baby-boomers who have spent their childrens’ legacies, and how the younger generation will be working their fingers to the bone to pay the pensions of these non-productive members of society.
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“T” is for Tug. It is the generally accepted painted mark on the side of a ship where it is safe for a tug to put its nose against the larger vessel and gently push it alongside, assist in turning the vessel short round and generally help in close manoeuvring.
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Whatever anyone might say about containerships – their utilitarian aspect and lack of elegance when compared to their predecessors, nobody can accuse them of not being strong.
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