How safe

[happy daze john in oz]

Nothing new here as safety standards have declined over time.
It had been reported thta some ships are only being inspected every five years to determine their seaworthyness.


Maritime safety standards in Australia are compromised and putting lives at risk because the peak regulator is too busy "processing paperwork" and not checking unsafe vessels, a new report by an international marine organisation has alleged.
The Federal Government is holding a Senate inquiry into the performance of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) after the death of Damien Mills, who fell off a charter boat in Western Australia in 2014.
AMSA, which is based in Canberra, has previously told the ABC that about five people die each year on Australian waters.
In his submission, International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS) chief executive Mike Schwarz said the "situation in Australia is well outside of international norms for this sector and task".
However, AMSA disagreed in a statement and said the regulator was committed to "modern risk-based regulation".

[Ivan Cloherty]

Vessels always had annual drydock surveys (mainly for scraping and painting) and every four years a quadrennial survey for hull condition, thickness of plates etc, they were allowed to defer the quadrennial survey to a fifth year once in 16 years but not once the vessel was over 12 years old. Things have changed as annual surveys can now be carried out afloat by divers and ROV's. Also paint systems are now more sophisticated and become better protectors as they age under water, becoming self polishing and barnacles are a thing of the past. Most port inspections now concentrate on whether the paperwork is in order, and a logbook or work book not filled in will apparently affect the seaworthiness of the vessel (on paper) where as in reality the vessel may be well maintained and thoroughly seaworthy from a seaman's point of view, but the world is obsessed with paperwork to avoid litigation and protecting one's own ass!

[John Arton]

Ivan
Classification societies work on a 5 year cycle with a mandatory mid term and renewal docking survey, this in addition to the annual SOLAS survey's for safety equipment, construction etc. which as you no doubt be aware of, dependent upon flag and classification society can be iffy at times.
I think what the AMSA are alluding too are port state inspections under such as the Paris, Toyko, etc memorandum, which requires a minimum of 25%? Of vessels calling at ports in countries that have signed up to the various memorandum to be inspected and for information regarding such inspections to be shared world wide. Port state inspectors have the power to detain vessels over a wide range of items from safety, certification, crewing and their welfare etc. Etc.
Class surveyors will only detain a vessel when it can be shown to be unseaworthy, class surveyors usually impose time limited conditions to fix any defects found during surveys or in extreme cases remove vessels classification which nullify any insurance.
Ships masters or chief engineers can also call in class to declare their vessel unseaworthy if their owners are refusing to attend to major defects.
Know I'm speaking to the expert Ivan but just thought of posting to inform members who will not know the whole lot.
Rgds
J.A.

[Ivan Cloherty]

# 3 Thanks John, all input is welcome, I'm by no means an expert, can only speak about my era, once upon a time in Oz you didn't need any maritime agencies to stop you sailing the WWF were very adept at that, especially if there no other ships due in for a few days, the would find some trivial fault with your vessel, gave them an excuse to walk off and get a full days pay. You'd fix the perceived (imaginary) fault turn up next day and find another, then bugger off again, this was a daily cycle until the next vessel arrived. I once had to send a brand new (unused) Linkletter accommodation ladder ashore,(they wouldn't walk up it, despite all the certificates) have it cut in half, rewelded by an Australian firm, issued with an Australian certificate then they used it, they got two days pay out of that and no work...…..Happy days! Anyone who sailed in or out of OZ in the 50's - 70's will have tales to tell about the WWF