"could we tow this ship (???) to a scrapyard?" - the paddlesteamer RYDE (as it then was on the Isle of Wight...)
I am fascinated by ships and all the surprises (like finding out about the state of the RYDE) and shocks the maritime industry presents on a daily basis. Still, there is apparently more to life than ships. But before I get there I wanted to list at least a few standard links related to safety and compliance which you may all already consult frequently - or at least some of them.
It is a mixture of links to organisations and news outlets which provide, amongst others, valuable information about technical, operational and social aspects of the shipping industry.
Maritime Administrations and Classification Societies
Australian Maritime Safety Agency (AMSA - Australia)
European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)
Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU - Germany)
International Association of Classification Societies (IACS)
International Maritime Organisation (IMO)
Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB - United Kingdom)
Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA - United Kingdom)
Maritime New Zealand (MNZ - New Zealand)
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB - United States)
P&I Clubs
International Group of P&I Clubs
Owners and Unions
Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO)
International Chamber of Shipping (ICS Publications)
International Labour Organisation (ILO)
International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF – seafarers)
Media and others
British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII – British and Irish court cases)
gCaptain – free shipping news
Maasmondmaritime – free shipping news
When things went wrong
Fire is the devil's only friend. This clip shows the (outside) cargo deck of the ropax ferry NORMAN ATLANTIC after the fire and here you can see a variety of ship fires.
If you want to be prepared or need help with emergency communications you might be interested to get in touch with Mark Clark at mark.clark@mtinetwork.com.
Funny?
On a lighter note, this contains advice for born environmentalists, government spin doctors and naval architects.
Risk assessments are recommended (and are required) for all kinds of activity. A real man, however, does not need them. This clip has a similarity with a complacent and overconfident approach in certain seafaring scenarios in which the situational awareness is lacking.
And finally
If you had enough of carbon steel and are interested in more precious metals you may like to have a look at the website of my friend Klaus who is a goldsmith in Detmold in Germany where both of us were born and went to school. Detmold is at the foot of the Hermannsdenkmal and each of us is, of course, Herman the German.
If you ever come to Southampton and in your real life enjoy live music with or without a good pint you might want to check out The Brook or The Platform Tavern. You can also always take me out for a pint...
Once in Southampton and in case you ever wanted to own and drive a 2CV, my friend Jeff will be able to help you. Whereas cable ties play quite a role in the life of a 2CV I do, however, not recommend a similar practice for bilge alarms.
the trained eye will not miss the cable ties, either here, or...
here: bilge alarm on a passenger vessel
And that's me done. Please get in contact if you think I can help you with any shipping matter (+44 7784 766 863 or ulrich@kooglefisch.eu).