Risk Bulletins

Fatigue caused by sleep deprivation and/or long hours of arduous work creates a serious hazard in many industries.... This Risk Bulletin is intended to raise awareness of the fatigue hazard challenge confronting masters and crew and provide recommendations to avoid tragedy and loss.

The boarding and disembarkation of a ship’s pilot, often in challenging weather conditions, is a unique and hazardous exercise. The incidence of injury and fatalities during ship to pilot boat transfers is substantial. The cause is often due to pilot ladder and ancillary equipment failure and/or improper rigging by the ship’s crew. This Risk Bulletin looks at the hazards, the regulatory requirements and industry recommendations for making the pilot transfer process a smoother and safer exercise for all concerned.

Previous MM Risk Bulletins on bulk carrier safety focused on the liquefaction dangers of IMSBC Code Group ‘A’ cargoes (e.g., nickel ore) which can cause a vessel to capsize suddenly, with high levels of crew deaths. This Risk Bulletin focuses on other serious bulk carrier hazards.

E-mail payment redirection scams are designed to intercept money transfers to legitimate receiver accounts and divert them into the accounts of criminal scammers...This Risk Bulletin is intended to raise the awareness of MM Members their ship managers and crews of the now global and endemic risk of payment redirection scam theft and the critical need for countermeasure procedures...

As a consequence of the Russia/Ukraine war and the financial sanctions being imposed on Russia, shipping companies, flag states and other players in the maritime industry may see an increase in cyber-attacks aimed at companies from the sanction imposing countries. This Risk Bulletin is focused on the disruptive and costly impacts which these targeted cyber-attacks may have on MM Members and their shore-based and shipboard operations as a consequence of indirect/collateral damage.

This Risk Bulletin is intended to lighten the burden on Members by providing a synopsis of the three important amendments to pre-existing IMO conventions and codes which will come into force in 2022.

Seafarers face many hazards while at sea. The biggest of them all is undoubtedly the weather. It can often be severe and very dangerous.However, weather itself - as a hazard - cannot be eliminated.... This Risk Bulletin takes a close look at this process and its utilisation by both Members and their Masters to ensure their vessels, cargoes and crews arrive safely at destination.

MM members have previously been alerted to the critical importance of Passage Planning (PP) by MM Risk Bulletin No. 27. This included the decision of the English Admiralty Court in the ‘CMA CGM Libra’ (CCL) case that the CCL’s defective PP rendered the vessel as ‘unseaworthy’. This decision was subsequently upheld on appeal to the Court of Appeal (CA). It was recently confirmed by the Supreme Court (SC).

The reported USD one billion wreck removal of the capsized car carrier ‘GOLDEN RAY’ from the US east coast port of Brunswick, Georgia, has recently been completed. This Risk Bulletin is focused on the lessons learned and their application to heighten stability awareness on board not only car carriers, but on board all ‘stability sensitive’ vessels...