Shortly after a night departure from London Heathrow in October, a British Airways Airbus A319-131 on a flight to Budapest was approaching FL200 in clear weather when there was an audible 'clunk' and the flight deck became dark, with a number of electrical systems and flight displays lost.
Displays lost included the captain's and first officer's primary flight and navigation displays and one of 2 electronic centralized aircraft monitor (ECAM) displays, leaving only one ECAM; also lost were the autopilot, autothrust, intercom and most flight deck lighting, including that of overhead and pedestal panels.
The captain took manual control and maintained the aircraft attitude by reference to the external night horizon, the standby horizon and those other standby instruments that he was able to see (it is probable that the electrically-driven standby horizon was not powered or lighted but might have remained useable for 5 minutes due to the gyro's inertia.
The captain transmitted a MAYDAY on VHF but this was not received by ATC because the radio was no longer powered. The first officer carried out the ECAM actions and the primary flight instruments and most other systems were restored. The aircraft was in the degraded condition for a period of about 2 minutes.
Communication with ATC was regained and the crew were allocated a holding pattern while they reviewed the status of the aircraft. A number of systems remained inoperative including the captain's windshield and window heat. The aircraft was in the hold for some 40 minutes following which the flight was continued to Budapest, where the first officer performed the landing, during which the flight crew noted a thrust reverser caution. After landing, all the remaining affected systems were successfully reset by a maintenance engineer and the aircraft continued in operation for 6 days with no further electrical failures.
The incident was reported under the UK Mandatory Occurrence Reporting Scheme and the aircraft was then taken out of service for investigation under AAIB supervision. The aircraft was returned to service and has continued in operation without any further reports of similar malfunctions. The AAIB is investigating this with the cooperation of the aircraft manufacturer and the operator. A further report will be published.
- FLAG STATE
- INSPECTION AND SURVEY ORGANISATIONS
- PORT STATE CONTROL
- TRAFFIC MONITORING
- INVESTIGATION OF ACCIDENTS
- ATHENS CONVENTION
- CIVIL LIABILITY
Interesante Pdf de la EMSA con los barcos charteados para recoger el crudo vertido, caracteristicas y zona de actuación, en principio, continuan con sus labores, pero estarán a disposición de la Agencia en caso de necesidad.
The following response capacity arrangements have been contracted by the Agency:
- The Baltic Arrangement: (Tinka, Breeze, Kasla, Ophelia and Otilia) 4.050.000 €
- The Atlantic and Channel Arrangement: (Ile-de-Bréhat) 8.500.000 €
- The Mediterranean Arrangement: (Mistra Bay) 3.850.000 €
- Operational fund (to cover accelerated mobilisation and exercises) 2.280.000 €
- Overall total: 18.680.000 € (over a period of 3 years)

Antonio nos recuerda que la EMSA a publicado una nota de prensa que anuncia que esperan empezar a trabajar desde allí para Abril del 2006. Coincidiendo con la Feria de Abril de nuevos guardacostas que anuncian autonomías, cumbres y demás tertulianos.
At the present time, EMSA has around 100 staff and, at the time of the move, it is likely to have more than 120. Moving large numbers of staff, together with their families, in a relatively seamless way, will be a significant challenge, involving physical and cultural re-location and dealing with a new way of life, language, schools, jobs for spouses and many other issues.
MAIB del abordaje del remolcador THORNGARTH por el quimiquero STOLT ASPIRATION en Liverpool el 13 de abril del 2005, el remolcador asistía en la proa cuando una mala maniobra del patrón, le coloco en el camino del tanque, al pez grande no le pasó nada pero al pequeño le hizo una vía de agua e importantes daños, amen de romperle el brazo al jefe, que no la quijada como a otros. ;-).
Curioso el diagrama de maniobra del remolcador para los que no enredamos con ellos.
ATSB de un calambrazo mortal al electricista del Probo Panda en Queensland en mayo del 2005
Etiquetas: MAIB NTSB etc
A senior ship manager warned that ships would soon need to carry at least two cadets if the anticipated shortage of senior officers is to be tackled, the Fairplay Daily News reported.
During the 6th Asia Pacific Manning & Training conference in Manila, Pradeep Chawla -- training director at Anglo Eastern Ship Management -- said the shortage of good officers is causing a "chain reaction of misery in other departments of every company, with respect to ISM (International Safety Management) Code compliance."
"The shortage has made it even harder to retain officers as manning agents use higher wages to lure away experienced seafarers, especially in the LNG/LPG and other specialized trades," Chawla explained.
Each new officer recruited needs to be trained in the company's safety management system, and Chawla warned of a higher risk of non-compliance to the ISM Code as turnover becomes faster.
Shortage of experienced officers also leads to extra supervisory workload, Chawla added.
El pasado lunes 21, comenzó al 24 Asamblea de la OMI, que se prolongará hasta el día 02 de diciembre, por parte española ha participado la Ministra de Fomento, cuyo ministerio tiene en puertas el Plan Nacional de Salvamento Marítimo 2006-2009.
• Piracy off Somalia
• Ship recycling - development of a new legally-binding instrument and amendments to the IMO Guidelines on Ship Recycling.
• Guidelines on fair treatment of seafarers in the event of a maritime accident.
• Implementation of the 2002 Athens Protocol.
• Guidelines for facilitation of response to a pollution incident.
• Revised guidelines for the identification and designation of Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs).
• Ships' Routeing - establishment of an area to be avoided in the Galapagos Archipelago.
• Ships' Routeing - Amendments to the existing mandatory ship reporting system "In the Great Belt Traffic area".
• Revision of the Guidelines for the prevention and suppression of smuggling of drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals on ships engaged in international maritime traffic.
Tambien ha quedado constituido el Consejo, que es el organo ejecutivo de la IMO, para el bienio 2006-2007
The Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has elected the following states to be members of its Council for the 2006-2007 biennium:
Category (a) - 10 States with the largest interest in providing international shipping services: China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway, Panama, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and United States.
Category (b) - 10 other States with the largest interest in international seaborne trade: Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Germany, France, India, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.
Category (c) - 20 States not elected under (a) or (b) above which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation, and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world: Algeria, Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Philippines, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey.
En el mundo de los vinos sería una sorpresa que los Vega Sicilia se renombrasen Eulen, por pertenecer al grupo de David Alvarez. La imagen de marca no son solo los colores, también es el nombre y creo que el de Trasmediterránea era conocido hasta por el último magrebí que usaba de sus servicios o se amotinaba en ellos. Dentro de las navieras que operan en la península debe ser la más conocida, aunque la irrupción de los chicos de ladrillo con su campaña mediática ha arrinconado el nombre de una empresa casi centenaria a una esquina.
Pero siempre el despropósito puede ser mayor, y en este país donde hay muy pocos navieros y muchos empresarios, hace gracia ver los cargueros pintados como barcos hospital con la línea y las letras de Acciona en rojo.
Como valla o anuncio móvil no debe ser mala la idea para los del departamento de publicidad, pero todo lo que flota está sometido a la fortuna de mar y hace mucho tiempo que las grandes macro corporaciones intentan separar su imagen de los barcos, peligrosos trastos que pueden acabar arruinando la imagen de toda una empresa con un vertido, embarrancamiento o hundimiento mediático.




Cuando llega el invierno, es mejor estar en casa, y estos últimos días en Galicia está pegando de lo lindo. José Manuel nos pasa algunos titulares con varios sustos.
El Ilya, que ya fue controlado, el Nueva Flor de Ribeira, un yate y algún mercante más.
The German government wants the European Commission to kill off its proposal on deregulating port services across the European Union.
"The proposal is fundamentally flawed," Ralf Nagel, state secretary at the Federal Ministry for Transport, said Wednesday.
The Port Services Directive plan would neither improve competition nor the quality of services, Nagel said. In fact, it is likely to endanger sea ports in Germany and across the rest of northwestern Europe, he says.
Nagel said there is already stiff competition among ports in northwestern Europe, and the rules would likely lead to more red tape, higher administrative costs and job losses. He bases this assessment on a study carried out for the ministry by the Institute for Sea Transport and Logistics.
Instead of allowing in monopolies, the commission wants independent authorities to lease port services, including cargo handling, mooring and passenger facilities. Ports in continental Europe are generally owned by state and local governments, while in the U.K. they are privately owned.
The European Parliament blocked an attempt by the Commission to deregulate port services in 2003, saying that it would lead to cheap workers from flooding into the market. At the moment, ships are loaded and unloaded by workers employed by the owners of the port. But under the commission's plan, ship owners could use their own teams.
The commission's second proposal also envisages allowing ships to use their own personnel and equipment for loading and unloading containers, instead of relying on regular dock laborers.
In addition, the commission's new plan would attach conditions to the provision of port services. Concessions would be limited in time and linked to the amount of investment made by companies in facilities such as cargo handling cranes.
The regulations would apply to all EU ports handling at least 1.5m tonnes of freight or 200,000 passengers a year. Around 400 ports meet these criteria. (Reuters)

Piracy is defined in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) (article 101) as follows:
Piracy consists of any of the following acts:
(a) any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed:
(i) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft;
(ii) against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State;
(b) any act of voluntary participation in the operation of a ship or of an aircraft with knowledge of facts making it a pirate ship or aircraft;
(c) any act inciting or of intentionally facilitating an act described in sub-paragraph (a) or (b). Armed robbery against ships is defined in the Code of Practice for the Investigation of the Crimes of Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships (resolution A.922(22), Annex, paragraph 2.2), as follows:
Armed robbery against ships means any unlawful act of violence or detention or any act of depredation, or threat thereof, other than an act of piracy, directed against a ship or against persons or property on board such ship, within a States jurisdiction over such offences.