Liberian Registry appoints new investigations vice-president

The Liberian Registry has appointed Dodge Kenyon as Vice-President of its Investigations Division. Dodge joins from Holland America Group, where he was Manager of Technical Operations, Auditing and Compliance and Chairman of the Fleet Health, Environmental, Safety and Security Committee. His previous experience includes twelve years as a vessel inspector and investigator with the State of Washington Department of Ecology Spills Prevention Programme and over two years as a marine surveyor for American Bureau of Shipping in Los Angeles.

The Liberian Registry takes a highly proactive approach to the investigation of maritime casualties, personnel accidents and other related incidents with the objective of preventing marine casualties and marine incidents in the future. Its Investigation Division has, over the past decade, earned a superior reputation for conducting marine investigations with speed, efficiency and competence.

Incidents which come within the remit of Liberia’s Investigation Division may include events directly involving a ship, such as a casualty, a contravention of rules or regulations or an oil spill. Casualty investigations also include investigation of possible violations of law or failure on the part of personnel, shipowners, or ship operators. They may be personnel-related, such as death or injury, failure to properly perform duties, crew grievances, or acts of fraud or misconduct.

Dodge Kenyon says, “I have seen first-hand the responsible and proactive manner in which the Liberian Registry responds to investigative issues. It is an exciting new career challenge for me to now be part of the registry’s decision-making process in this respect, and I look forward to working with LISCR’s team of experienced maritime professionals.”

Scott Bergeron, CEO of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR), the US-based manager of the Liberian Registry, says, “Dodge has almost thirty years’ experience of working in the shipping industry in both the public and private sector. His first-hand knowledge of safety, loss prevention, and technical and operational compliance will prove invaluable to the registry and its continually expanding fleet.”

The Liberian Registry is one of the world’s largest and most active shipping registers and has long been considered the world’s most technologically advanced maritime administration. It has a long-established track record of combining the highest standards of safety for vessels and crews with the highest levels of responsive service to owners.

www.liscr.com

London Club says technology can cause costly distractions

THE London P&I Club has warned that improvements in telecommunications technology on board ships can create unwelcome distractions, leading to casualties.

In its StopLoss Bulletin, the club notes that an alleged causative factor in a recent pollution incident involved the duty officer attempting to make a Skype call on his laptop during his watch. A VDR playback revealed that the officer of the watch (OOW) was listening to a news bulletin from his home country which was being streamed through a laptop computer. The officer appears to have missed a radar target and a VHF warning call while listening to the breaking news from home.

The club says, “Onboard communication has improved significantly over the last few years, with technological advances enabling crew to use mobile phones and laptops to stay in contact with family and friends ashore. However, the use of such equipment at inappropriate moments may distract crew from the navigation or operation of the ship.

“Another issue is the risk of being exposed to excessive information and simply being unable to process it all. Bridge equipment is increasingly sophisticated and it can provide the crew with access to extensive information regarding the relative positions of other ships. But, unless it is used in a focused manner, it can confuse, rather than clarify, and ultimately prove counter-productive.”

In another case cited by the club, the OOW decided to use the Automatic Radar Plotting Aid to track 99 different ships whilst transiting a congested anchorage and to overlay the radar image with Automatic Identification System data. With so much information being displayed, he failed to notice that one of the targets had both a minimal closest point of approach (CPA) and time to CPA and, ultimately, there was a collision.

The club says, “It is worth giving careful thought to how such equipment can best be used without risking information overload. An important principle of keeping a safe navigational watch is that the OOW ensures that an efficient look-out is maintained at all times and the Collision Regulations are complied with. It is therefore essential that any distractions from those duties are as far as possible minimised or eliminated.”

www.londonpandi.com