Loss prevention insight on alternative fuels, focusing on liquefied natural gas (LNG).

With decarbonisation and the green transition topping the shipping agenda, shipowners are exploring greener alternative fuels to meet their future emission targets. The industry is conducting intensive research and testing to identify which new fuels may emerge as preferred alternatives to fossil fuels. However, questions remain: how much progress have we made, what do we … Continue reading BRITANNIA LOSS PREVENTION WEBINAR: ALTERNATIVE FUELS – AN INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

Loss prevention insight on alternative fuels, specifically methanol and hydrogen

The Lymantria Dispar, also known as the Flighted Spongy Moth Complex (FSMC), is a species of moths, native to China, far-East Russia, and other countries of the Asia-Pacific, such as Japan and Korea. Spongy refers to the characteristic of the moth eggs which resemble a sponge-like mass. FSMC is a highly destructive pest posing a … Continue reading FLIGHTED SPONGY MOTH COMPLEX (FSMC) SEASON 2024 – FORMERLY ASIAN GYPSY MOTH

Loss prevention insight on biofuels, specifically highlighting Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) and Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO)

The Britannia Loss Prevention team hosted its latest webinar, EU ETS – A New Era in Shipping. The webinar was hosted by Jacob Damgaard, Divisional Director and Head of Loss Prevention at Britannia P&I and covered a range of topics including what it means to acquire and surrender emissions, how this is calculated and how … Continue reading BRITANNIA LOSS PREVENTION WEBINAR: EU ETS – A NEW ERA IN SHIPPING

The maritime industry is undergoing a profound transformation as it seeks to reduce its environmental footprint and transition towards more sustainable practices. One innovation that has received attention is wind-assisted cargo ships. Whilst wind-assisted cargo ships hold great potential for sustainable shipping, they also come with certain risks that need to be considered. Sailing ships … Continue reading WIND-ASSISTED PROPULSION

Since the Fukushima nuclear disaster happened in 2011, the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) has monitored by sample surveys the ballast water of vessels at Korean ports that have previously called at Aomori Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, Ibaragi Prefecture and Chiba Prefecture. With wastewater from Fukushima nuclear powerplant being … Continue reading GUIDANCE ON MEASURES TO PREVENT INFLOW OF POSSIBLE RADIOACTIVE BALLAST WATER

The Club has seen several pollution incidents involving the accidental transfer of cargo into an adjacent ballast water tank. The main causes are pitting or corrosion of cargo tanks which results in cargo being flushed out during ballast water operations. These incidents have highlighted the importance of crew awareness of ballast principles and best practices. … Continue reading BALLAST OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE PRACTICE: BALLAST TANK INSPECTION

The Club has seen an increase in the number of incidents relating to water ingress into holds, the consequences of which can prove costly and cause delays to vessels’ schedules. There are a number of ways in which water can enter the cargo hold of vessel, this article will focus on water ingress from cargo … Continue reading FLOODING OF CARGO HOLDS

On 18 December 2022 the European Parliament and Council came to an agreement on the revision of the EU Emission Trading System (EU ETS) extending this to also include shipping from 1 January 2024. The official text of the agreement is expected to be finalised in the first quarter of 2023 with the full adoption … Continue reading PRELIMINARY AGREEMENT TO INCLUDE SHIPPING IN THE EU’S EMISSION TRADING SYSTEM FROM 2024

The decarbonisation of shipping is probably the biggest challenge the industry has ever faced. Many alternative fuels are being developed and are starting to be tested and used. While the environmental benefits of using non-fossil fuels are obvious, there are also safety risks associated with handling some of the alternative fuels. In this article we … Continue reading AMMONIA AS A FUEL

In recent years decarbonisation has become one of the most common words in the shipping news media. The United Nations’ Paris agreement on climate change in 2015 made a commitment to keep the global mean temperature increase at below 2°C of pre-industrial levels by 2100, while making efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C. In April … Continue reading DECARBONISATION: PROGRESS SO FAR AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

In recent years, terms like sustainability and ESG (environmental, social and governance) have become very common, not just within the shipping industry but globally. However, what do these words mean in practical terms? Within the shipping industry, sustainability has almost become synonymous within decarbonisation. However, there is more to sustainability than decarbonisation and it is … Continue reading IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

The Britannia Loss Prevention department hosted its latest webinar, Emergency Response Following a Marine Casualty, at 0900 BST on Wednesday 25 May 2022. The webinar was hosted by Captain Simon Rapley, Divisional Director, Loss Prevention, Britannia P&I, and looked at three distinct aspects that need to be addressed following a marine casualty: actions ashore and … Continue reading BRITANNIA LOSS PREVENTION WEBINAR: EMERGENCY RESPONSE FOLLOWING A MARINE CASUALTY

The Club recently saw an incident where a number of unfortunate events, including the fall of the vessel’s spare main engine cylinder liner, led to an oil spill. Although the oil spill was minor and contained on board, and no people were injured, the incident still resulted in a significant claim. The incident provides some … Continue reading OIL SPILL ON DECK

In an exclusive interview with SAFETY4SEA, Jacob Damgaard, Associate Director, Loss Prevention, Britannia P&I, highlights that the maritime industry will only move forward with close cooperation between industry stakeholders. The interview talks about how crew welfare and setting ambitious environmental targets should be high on the agenda for 2022 as the time to address the … Continue reading SAFETY4SEA INTERVIEW WITH BRITANNIA’S JACOB DAMGAARD

Members are reminded that new International Maritime Organisation (IMO) legislation under MARPOL Annex VI is due to become applicable in just one year, with the new regulations requiring various measures and preparations to be undertaken in advance. As part of the IMO’s drive to cut greenhouse gases from shipping, on  17 June 2021 the IMO … Continue reading ENERGY EFFICIENCY EXISTING SHIP INDEX (EEXI) – NEW LEGISLATION

Work by the IMO on the prevention of air pollution from ships led to the adoption of the Protocol of 1997 to the MARPOL Convention.  The Protocol added a new Annex VI to the Convention containing the Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships.  Annex VI provides for a progressive reduction in sulphur … Continue reading EMISSIONS

The MARPOL convention allows for the use of Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems[1] (EGCS, more commonly referred to as scrubbers) as an alternative means of complying with the 2020 low sulphur regulations. However some jurisdictions have imposed local regulations which restrict or prohibit the discharge of wash water from scrubbers within their waters. The list below … Continue reading LIST OF JURISDICTIONS RESTRICTING OR BANNING SCRUBBER WASH WATER DISCHARGES

The global low sulphur requirements came into force on 1 January 2020 under the MARPOL convention. However, there are some places where separate local legislation with stricter requirements will also be in force. It is important that Members are updated of the regulations in these areas. This article gives a simple overview of these known … Continue reading GLOBAL LOW SULPHUR FUEL REQUIREMENTS IN MARPOL EMISSION CONTROLLED AREAS (ECA) AND OTHERS AFTER 1 JANUARY 2020

The introduction of invasive species into a new eco-system can have serious consequences and it is well documented that invasive species can flourish in a new environment. The invasive species often competes with local organisms and can cause serious damage to commercial structures. In some cases, the arrival of an invasive species can be harmful … Continue reading BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT

There has been a recent case of a Member finding a significant number of cockroaches on board a modular container ship which required all the cargo to be discharged and the cargo and the ship had to be fumigated at significant cost and causing significant delay. There are three types of cockroach commonly found as … Continue reading AVOID COCKROACHES