Safe manning of ships under spotlight

THIS week, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is hosting the 18th Marine Accident Investigators Forum in Asia (MAIFA) here in Singapore. The forum fosters closer cooperation, coordination on maritime safety and promotes safety at sea among investigators from maritime administrations.

Delegates from Australia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, China, Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the UK and Vietnam are meeting to discuss and exchange views on marine safety investigations.

The UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) representative will probably be carrying one or two copies of that organisation's 2014 annual report, just published. It is to be hoped that some of the lessons contained in that excellent document will be discussed this week.