PDF SAFETY UPGRADES
PDF SAFETY UPGRADES
By Rob Murray on SV AVANT
Aboard SV Avant, we’re bullish on PFDs. We wear them whenever on deck while underway, and have upgraded them with a few additional gewgaws to help them (pretty much) match ORC safety guidelines and increase their effectiveness. We regularly (annually) look over the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) guidelines and update our safety gear accordingly.
Your PFD is your primary piece of personal safety gear, and is what will keep you afloat should you slip overboard. Being rescued by the short-handed crew you leave aboard might not be instant, so being prepared to signal and help them find you is likely to be very useful. Having your PFD kitted out to make it more effective than what comes off the shelf is easy, and (we think) worthwhile. Having a few of the nice-to-have-at-hand items on your person is good too, so we add those as well.
We follow the ‘one is none, two is one’ ethos in equipment – if something is important, we like to have a spare or alternate item immediately at hand.
We start with a basic, automatic inflatable PFD with an integrated harness for offshore use. If you’re sailing in your home jurisdiction and want to use it to meet safety regulations, you need to pay attention to local government approvals, but if you’re offshore or going offshore, we feel any approval is good enough to meet the use case (Canadian Coast Guard, US Coast Guard, UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, European CE, etc.). There are a lot of manufacturers (Crewsaver, Mustang Survival, Revere, Spinlock, Stearns, and many others) and when you look them over, they’re much of a sameness in features and approvals. We buy what’s on sale.
We replace PFDs every 5-6 years and rotate the used ones to spare status, and after 10+ years, they’re binned. We inspect them when they come into inventory as new, and annually thereafter. Annual inspection is visually checking for wear spots, frayed stitches, etc., cleaning and servicing the stuff attached to them, changing batteries in battery powered accessories, and then inflating the life vests and leaving them inflated overnight to check for loss of pressure (leaks) before refolding them for use.
Our Upgrades
Start with a basic, integral harness, self-inflating PFD.
We add what the ORC calls ‘ride up prevention system (RUPS)’. These can be either thigh straps or a crotch strap. We use crotch straps as we have found them easier to use, they have lower drag, and are cheaper than thigh straps. These prevent you from slipping down in the life vest (or the life vest slipping up on you) and make it easier to keep your head above water. If you’ve ever tried your life vest in the water, you will know the importance of having a RUPS.
We add a knife. The knife should be easy to open (and close), and somehow attached to the PFD so it won’t be lost. A belt clip allows it to be clipped to the PFD waist strap for storage. You can make a string lanyard, but we prefer elastic tethers, which we get at the Dollar store (our favorite chandlery). These tethers last a few years before needing replacement. The knife should be at least ½ serrated (for fast cutting) and have a blunt tip or sheepsfoot blade (so it’s harder to inadvertently puncture the PFD bladder with it). A cheap West Marine rigging knife works fine, or a Spiderco Salt if you want an upgrade. If you get a sharp-tipped knife, grind off the pointy tip. Any knife will rust, so we brush ours liberally with wax (like we use on the hull) using a toothbrush and wipe the excess off, which seems to keep rust at bay.
Many PFDs come with a whistle stowed inside the folded bladder. If not provided, add a whistle there. We add a second one outside on a coiled elastic strap around the bladder so it can be used to call up off-watch crew, or signal a nearby boat instantly, without opening the life jacket. The low profile Fox whistles are good for this.
We think you should have a light (minimum 1). We have two (three counting the headlamp). We have one automatic light inside on the inflation tube, and a second one outside on the same coil elastic as the exterior whistle. The interior stowed light is a water-activated strobe. The exterior light is a simple, pocket LED powered by 2032 lithium coin batteries; these are often sold as bike lights. It provides enough light for tasks right at hand, can light your way forward on deck, help you find that thing you dropped, etc. They’re usually available in white or red, and we choose red to try to preserve night vision. We rub a bit of Vaseline on the o-rings when we change the batteries every year. For devices that use AA, AAA, or similar batteries, we use lithium batteries for longer life, better cold weather performance, and less chance of a leaking battery.
For our offshore jackets, we upgraded and use McMurdo MOB-1 Beacons. These have a light, a DSC-VHF alert with an AIS transmitter, and are rigged to go off when the jacket inflates. The beacons alert the mother ship and nearby vessels of a crew overboard situation via both DSC-VHF and AIS. There are other devices that have AIS transmitters without the DSC, and also PLBs (personal satellite beacons). We chose the DSC-VHF+AIS beacons because not everyone has AIS, but DSC-VHF is becoming ubiquitous. PLBs are great but take longer to alert anyone, and they send their alert to a coast guard station thousands of miles away, not to boats on the scene (if single handing, the PLB would be the way to go, though).
Our previous generation alerting devices were McMurdo Smartfind S20 AIS MOB Beacons (which seem to be discontinued now). These transmitted a GPS location on AIS and were good, but we prefer the dual DSC(VHF) and AIS functions the new beacons offer. The old ones are relegated to our backup systems now. These all need periodic servicing just like an EPIRB does.
We also add a signal mirror. These are inexpensive, and provide an alternative long range (up to 20 miles) signalling capability. You can get them in outdoor camping shops. We attached them to the inflation tubes with simple string neck lanyards for cell phones from those favorite chandlers, the Dollar store.
We like a headlamp right at hand (it does get dark, pretty much every night), so we add one to a pouch on the belt. If the pouch is zippered, we treat the zipper with wax (like lip balm, also from the Dollar store) to keep it working. Our preference is for waterproof ones with variable output and red light capabilities. You don’t need much light working on deck at night, and bright white ones will ruin your night vision. These can be used to signal as well, should you need to.
We like to have a multi tool at hand at all times – a Leatherman™ (or similar) with pliers, screwdriver bits, and so on. We keep it in a pouch on the PFD belt. If you find something loose and want to tighten it up, it’s convenient to have the means at hand when you discover the issue and save a trip downstairs to grab a tool. The multi tools are also prone to rust, so we treat them the same way as the knife, with an annual liberal brushing of wax, wiping off the excess.
We like to upgrade the reflective tape(s) on the PFD’s bladder. They usually come with a couple of meager-meets-minimum strips of reflective tape, so we add three or five more around the upper edges to increase visibility. If you’re buying reflective tape, get a roll so you can upgrade your LifeSling, Man Overboard pole float, life ring, and other safety gear too.
ORC rules also call for each PFD to be marked clearly with the wearer’s or boat’s name: a few seconds with a Sharpie™ and that’s crossed off the list as well.
With a few changes in how you add, stow and use safety gear on your PFDs, along with a bit of attention, you can make any PFD a more useful survival aid, and the additional weight isn’t really noticeable when in use.
SY AVANT 🇨🇦 Rob & Debra – Beneteau 43.5
NIGHT PASSAGES AND BEST PRACTICES
⚠️ NIGHT PASSAGES AND BEST PRACTICES ⚠️
Captains and crew aboard cruising vessels are wise to be on constant alert day or night. Night Passages are inherently more dangerous than daytime passages due to a distinct change in how we see and what we do and do not see in the darkness. Passages made between sunset and sunrise have a particular set of best practices that are important to the safety of ones vessel and crew. Please review the following list and consider what you can do to make every night passage safe and thereby fun.
- Before the onset of darkness prep topsides. Make sure everything is well stowed or tied down. If sailing, choose a comfortable and prudent sail configuration.
- Consult all navigational charts along your planned course. Be sure to zoom in to look for any rocks or obstructions that may only be visible on a closer look. Additionally, navigating coastal and offshore waters along the Ocean Posse routes outside of US Waterways mariners will find places where the charts do not match up with the actual contour of the land and sea. Being aware of this as a fact is imperative to the safety of ones vessel and crew. Charts are not always GPS accurate. Use multiple sources of information like radar, OpenCPN, and Sat charts as an additional aid to navigation.
- Set a watch schedule and make sure that everyone on watch understands how to use navigational and safety equipment including AIS.
- If entering or leaving an anchorage, harbor, or port be sure to give a wide berth to headlands.
- Run radar, throughout the night. If possible overlay your radar image over your electronic chart to verify both with one another. If there is a discrepancy, trust the radar over the electronic chart. The radar is also great for looking for squalls.
- Check for other marine traffic. If your vessel is equipped with and AIS make sure everyone on watch knows how to use it to see other vessels that may be in your range or on your course. Note: Not every vessel on the ocean is equipped with AIS so this equipment, while an exceptional safety advancement, does not take the place of visually scanning the area for lights or shapes on the water.
- Know how to read navigational and ship lights at night. There are international rules on light color and placement aboard vessels of different sizes carrying different loads. The lights will show what part of the vessel is in view and the direction of travel.
- Objects at night have come up a lot faster.
Be aware, be cautious, be vigilant, and, most importantly,
be safe so you can enjoy all your sunrises and sunsets out at sea.
by Maurisa Descheemaeker, Ocean Posse editor
MARINE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
MARINE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
No matter where one is in their cruising season or in the world checking and maintaining marine fire extinguishers onboard is imperative. The USCG keep an up to date log on product recalls. See this link: USCG PRODUCT RECALLS
Carrying out a visual inspection.
Check for rust, dents, or chemical deposits. Even the smallest leak will render your device useless. It's important to inspect your fire extinguishers on a monthly basis to check for any signs of a leak or corrosion.
EXPIRATION
Disposable (non-rechargeable) dry chemical fire extinguishers, must be removed 12 years after their date of manufacture. These extinguishers generally have their year of manufacturing stamped on the bottom or have its year marked next to its UL label.
Refer to the date of manufacturing stamped on the bottle; for example, "11" means "2011."
Units needed
For vessels between 26 and 40 feet, you need either two 5-B fire extinguishers or a single 20-B fire extinguisher.
For vessels between 40 and 65 feet, you need either three 5-B fire extinguishers or one 20-B fire extinguisher and one 5-B fire extinguisher.
Got Lithium ?
Honestly, it would be quite surprising to go onto any cruising vessel today and not find any lithium batteries in some electronic device, tool, or toy. Lithium batteries are a huge innovation in the battery industry powering everything from small fans to large motors. Lithium batteries present a distinct risk onboard because the 2 of the 5 fire extinguishers above do not put lithium fires out. Water and foam extinguishers are NOT effective and can make a lithium battery fire worse. Only Class D fire extinguishers are effective against lithium-metal battery fires. Lithium-ion battery fires are Class B fires, indicating the presence of flammable liquids, so a standard dry chemical or ABC extinguisher can put them out. Plus New high performance battery fire blanket are now designed for lithium ion battery packs. With lithium smoke and expanding batteries you will also need Safety glasses Safety gloves
Dr Adam Best, Principal Research Scientist at Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, is a leading lithium-ion battery expert. He says, ""lithium-ion batteries are statistically a very safe technology and that fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are also a statistically rare event." Not all lithium batteries are the same. In terms of safety profile, experts make a clear distinction between the high-energy lithium-ion batteries found within portable devices, and the lithium iron phosphate [LFP] batteries that are recommended for the marine industry as a vessel power source. LFP batteries are widely regarded as more stable than other types of lithium-ion batteries with a better safety track record.
The biggest Lithium battery risk is over-heating that can lead to battery damage, instability, and / or fire. That said, cautious person will take certain measures to ensure they are using their lithium batteries carefully by
- Only charge lithium battery devices while onboard.
- Once a battery reaches 100% take it off the charger.
- If a battery feels hot, let it cool.
- Inspect batteries, if they look misshapen, dispose of them properly.
OVERSEAS AND ONLINE: PASSPORT RENEWAL & VOTING
OVERSEAS AND ONLINE: USA PASSPORT RENEWAL & VOTING
As a US citizen, passports and voting rights are very important. Both can be kept up to date from afar...here's how:
After a two month beta trial, The United States Department of State has recently announced that Americans can now renew their passports online. This is new and additional staff has been hired to process the online system. The two caveats are for using this service: You must be located in the United States and your passport may not be expired by over 5 years. As of now, it is unclear if this new avenue of renewal will speed up the process overall or not. We will have to wait and see.
Americans have elections coming up locally and nationally. Are you registered to vote? Do you know that US Citizens living abroad can register to vote from overseas?
There are several online resource to help US citizens understand how to register to vote and vote from wherever they are when the time comes. Some useful sites include:
- https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/welcome-overseas-vote-from-abroad
- here you can learn all about overseas voting, what it means and terminology.
- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/smarter-living/american-vote-from-abroad.html
- here you can learn how to register and vote overseas
- https://www.fvap.gov/citizen-voter
- here you can register to vote from overseas and directly link to your state site with your registration and state specific options
- https://www.votefromabroad.org/
- Here you can also register or see a very clear state by state graphic of state voting acceptance procedure.
LOGISTICS - Bill Of Lading
What is a Bill of Lading?
The Bill of Lading is a legal document in shipping that records the traded goods received onboard. It establishes an agreement between a shipper and the transportation company (carrier). The carrier issues a Bill of Lading to the shipper, which has details about the goods being shipped, the starting point and destination of the shipment, and information about the shipper, carrier, and consignee.
Before delving into the topic further, let us understand a few terms:
- A shipper is the one which is supplying the commodities being transported. They pack and prepare the shipment for transportation.
- The carrier is the company which moves the cargo; for instance, it could be any shipping line like Maersk.
- The consignee is the party which receives the shipment. This can be your firm or a manufacturer who requires the goods you are shipping.
Land, ocean, and air transport use lading bills. There are usually two types of bills of lading: the House Bill of Lading and the Master Bill of Lading.
An ocean bill of lading indicates the carrier through which the goods have been placed to their final destination and the conditions for transporting the shipment to its final destination.
While many confuse the bill of lading with Proof of Delivery, the former is a contract between the owner of goods and freight carrier, while the latter is proof that the goods have reached their destination.
Importance of Bill of Lading
Bill of Lading is significant as it allows the person having it to rightfully claim the ownership of the cargo. It also serves as proof of a carriage contract, which mentions the responsibilities of the carrier towards the other parties involved in the transportation of cargo.
It is a contract between a carrier and shipper for the transportation of goods and also serves as a receipt issued by a carrier to the shipper.
The carrier need not require all originals to be submitted before delivery. Therefore, the exporter must retain control over the complete set of the originals until payment is effected, a bill of exchange is accepted, or some other assurance for payment has been made.
Hence, the bill of lading is considered a legal document which provides all the vital details to the shipper and the carrier to conveniently process the freight shipment through different maritime countries and invoice it correctly.
The carrier has an original copy of the bill of lading, and a copy should also be ascribed to the packaged freight.
What Details Are in the Bill of Lading?
- Name and official address of the receiver and the shipper.
- The Purchase order numbers, special reference/ invoice or reference numbers
- Instructions to help the shipper and the Consignee release the goods for pickup or are accepted at delivery.
- The date of the pickup to track the freight.
- Number of units being shipped, the NMFC freight class, the weight and dimensions of the products, and the nature of the cargo being carried.
- If the goods are hazardous, the Department of Transportation hazardous material designation is tagged, and it is cited on the bill to follow particular rules and requirements when shipping.
- The packaging details include crates, pallets, cartons, pills, drums, etc.
- Special notes or instructions for the carrier.
Functions of the Bill of Lading: Why do you need it?
The bill of lading acts as evidence of the contract of carriage of the goods. A negotiable bill of lading has the following legal qualities:
- It acts as evidence for the carriage contract containing the terms and conditions under which the goods transportation will be carried out.
- It represents a receipt which endorses that the carrier has received the cargo as per the contract and the goods are received in good condition.
- It is a document of title permitting the sale of goods in transit and raising financial credit.
- Most local and international systems do not consider a bill of lading as a title document. It provides the right for the delivery to be made to the possessor.
Negotiable and Non-negotiable Bill of lading
Negotiable bill of lading: In this type of bill, explicit instruction is provided to deliver the goods to anyone possessing the original copy of the bill, which signifies the title and control of the freight. In this type of bill, the buyer/ receiver or their agent has to acquire and present an original copy of the bill of lading at the discharge port. Without an original bill copy, the freight will not be released.
Non-negotiable bill: This type of bill of lading fixes a specific consignee/name of the receiver to whom the freights will be shipped and delivered. It, however, does not itself serve the owner of the goods. Under this bill, the assigned receiver/ buyers can claim the cargo by confirming their identity.
Different Types
There are different types of bills of lading depending on your shipping destination, type of cargo, and requirements. They can be classified based on execution and method of operation.
Based on execution
1. A straight bill of lading reveals that the goods are consigned to a specified person, which is not negotiable, free from existing equities. It means any endorsee acquires no better rights than those the endorser holds. This type of bill is also known as a non-negotiable bill of lading, and from the banker’s point of view, this type of bill of lading is not safe. This type of bill is prominently used for military cargo.
2. Open bill of lading —This is a negotiable bill of lading in which the name of the Consignee can be changed with the consignee’s signature and thus transferred multiple times. A switch bill of lading is a type of open bill of lading.
3. A bearer bill of lading states that delivery shall be made to whosoever holds the bill. Such a bill may be created explicitly or an order bill that fails to nominate the Consignee, whether in its original form or through an endorsement in blank. A bearer bill can be negotiated by physical delivery. They are used for bulk cargo that is turned over in small amounts.
4. Order bill of lading is a bill that uses express words to make the bill negotiable. This means that delivery is to be made to the further order of the Consignee using words such as “delivery to A Ltd. or to order or assigns. The cargo is only delivered to the bona fide holder of the lading bill, which must be verified by an agent who issues the delivery order and the verified bill of lading. The order bill of lading:
– is the most modern type of bill, which is widely used all over the world
– ensures the safety of delivery of cargo to a bonafide holder of B/L
– Since the ship visits several foreign ports where the language, practice, and procedures may differ, the master might be inconvenienced during the cargo delivery. People might fraudulently collect the cargo.
– To overcome this difficulty and avoid future cargo claims and litigations, the Consignee or the holder must surrender the bill of lading to the ship’s agent at the discharge port, who will verify the genuineness of the bill of lading. When satisfied, the agent will issue a delivery order and the verified bill of lading. Now, any person can collect the cargo from the ship by surrendering the bill of lading and the delivery note to the ship.
As the bill of lading is made to “to order” of the Consignee, it is a negotiable instrument of title. This means that the ownership of the bill of lading can be transferred from one person to another by authorising the signature and delivery of the bill of lading.
All goods which have not been paid in advance and are shipped under “To order” of the bill of lading can be categorised into two types:
- To Order, Blank Endorsed: not consigned to any named party but ‘To Order’ of the consignor, with the intended – Consignee’s name given under ‘notify party.’ The consignor must stamp and sign (endorse) this B/L so its title can be transferred.
- To Order, Bank: consigned to a bank with the intended Consignee’s name under ‘notify party.’ The bank endorses the B/L to the intended Consignee against payment of (or a pledge to pay) the amount of the accompanying bill of exchange. ‘To Order’ B/Ls are commonly used in the letter of credit transactions and may be bought, sold, traded, or used as security for borrowing money from banks or other lenders.
Based on the Method of Operation
- Received for shipment bill of lading–This bill is sent from the agent /charterer to the shipper. The endorsement of this bill ensures that the carrier has received goods but does not confirm it is onboard the assigned vessel.
- Shipped B/L – This bill of lading is Issued when cargo is loaded on board. It binds the shipowner and the shipper directly.
- A clean bill of lading states that the cargo has been loaded on board the ship in apparent good order and condition. Such a bill of lading will not bear a clause or notation which expressively declares a defective condition of goods and/or the packaging. The opposite term is a soiled bill of lading. It reflects that the carrier received the goods in anything but good condition.
- Through B/L – This bill of lading is a legal document allowing direct cargo delivery from point A to point B. The bill provides transportation of goods both within domestic borders and through international shipment as it serves as a receipt of the cargo, a contract of carriage, and sometimes title for the products as well
- Combined transport B/L – This bill gives information about cargo transported in large containers by sea and land, i.e. through multi-model transport.
- Dirty bill of lading: If the shipowner objects to “the condition of the cargo being in good order,” they can include a clause thereby causing the bill of lading to be “claused or dirty” along with the remarks as per the finding of the cargo condition, e.g., torn packing, broken cargo, shortage in the quantity of the goods, etc.
Related reading: What are container ships?
Sets of Bill of Lading
This is an old practice where the bills are signed in sets of three originals to facilitate timely delivery of the goods even when the original is lost. They are stated as the first, second, and third originals on top of the bill. A duplicate copy with the stamp “Non-negotiable” may also be distributed.
The master will sign the original bill of lading, and when the agent’s master signs the three-bill of lading, all other copies are considered void. This clause is written on the bill of lading supplied in sets.
This is why the bank, when negotiating a letter of credit covering the cargo, always asks for the full set of B/Ls. This prevents other B/L holders from legally claiming the cargo before the bank does.
Bill of lading as Contract Of Carriage
The contract between the carrier and the shipper is already created before issuing the bill of lading when the cargo is loaded on the ship. This is done to safeguard the shipper in case the cargo is damaged before loading it onboard the vessel and to help the shipper in the claim process. For the carrier and the Consignee, the bill of lading will act as the actual contract of carriage.
The popularly used conventions and rules which cover the contract of carriage for carrying goods by sea :
– Hamburg Rules
– Hague Rules
– US COGSA
The convention governing the carriage contract is usually stated on the first page of the bill of lading. Upon booking space for shipment by the Consignee, the carrier sends a booking confirmation that states the clauses sent by the carrier. It will indicate the terms and conditions governing the booking and carriage contract.
Tracking
Different companies use different forms of bill of lading, making tracking challenging unless the carrier provides a specific tracking service. A few companies tie up with the shipping carriers to track the bill of lading for easy trade.
However, these precautions must be taken before signing the bill of lading.
Electronic Bills of Lading
With the modernisation of the shipping industry as a whole, the bill of lading is also modernised to the electronic bill of lading to solve the issues occurring while using a paper bill of lading under the latest iteration of the International Group of P&I Clubs. The problems faced when using a paper bill of ladings are:
The paper bill uses printed bills of lading, which are both costly. The bill has to be couriered, which is an additional cost.
– The slow movement of the paper-based bill of lading.
Carriers are obligated to release the goods upon production of an original bill of lading, which will slow the process if not received in time.
– The paper bill can be forged, and delivery of goods against a forged bill of lading will lead to a huge loss
