April 26, 2015
Tackling Hyperthermia Onboard
Ships use alot of equipment that generates heat, a condition-changing effect which not only impacts surrounding environment but seafarer health directly. Despite awareness and prevention measures placed by the vessel safety officers, seafarers still suffer from health issues either due to carelessness or lack of control on incidents. Firstly, therm ..
January 25, 2015
What Breaks Ship’s Auxiliary Engines?
In the 21st century there is a constant requirement for power and ships no exception, warranting serious consequences which may arise; including different injuries to crew, damage to vessel and even collision, rare but possible. Firstly, marine engineers should be more aware and more knowledgeable about the auxiliary engine in terms of performance ..
January 18, 2015
Quick Thought- Barge Stability
A barge is a vessel that is not exactly known for stability issues therefore possible problems that are fatal to your marine operations may be ignored and thus take their toll on your barge. A barge will mostly show its problems up-front if they are serious or present; however, it will be too late to […] ..
January 12, 2015
Ballast Stability Control
Ballast fluid is used to maintain a ship’s stability during voyage, especially when cargo is absent from the hold. Ballasting and de-ballasting operations are fairly common, mostly in ports, cargo transfers and ballast exchanges. Ship stability is therefore, at stake here as the ship’s weight changes at a relatively fast rate and thus m ..
January 7, 2015
Importance of Standard Procedures-A Short Thought
We have encounter this term all the time in our professional and daily lives; completing basic tasks and bigger projects where there is always a code of conduct or a rule set. However, either due to company policy/requirements or occasional confusion or misguidance among employees there exist a set of rules, standard procedures and codes […] ..
January 5, 2015
Potential of Lasers in Shipbuilding
Modern ships consist of several complex components and sub-components which are held together by varied methods; with each method coming from their side effects on man hours in hull production and outfitting. However, due to heat distortion significant impact on nonproductive/nonmanufacturing operations such as straightening and fitting. Aside from ..
December 30, 2014
Future-Fitting and Tracing Electronic Errors
Naval architects have been busy with vessel conversions due to requirement of eco-friendly shipping; designing new means of doing so with special attention to use of electronics or other means of bypassing requirements of traditional fuels with potentially harmful emissions and higher operating costs. Starting from the engine, the part that require ..
December 24, 2014
Keep it Clean; The Drinking Water Issue
The availability of drinking water is a constant issue in the work environment, especially seafaring where it is occasionally compromised therefore leading to negative results such as illness. However, sometimes the supply is not the issue and instead the issue is its maintenance and means of distribution across the ship or port ecosystem; presenti ..
December 21, 2014
Improve a Propeller; Improve a Ship’s Voyage
A ship’s propeller is an important moving part whose efficiency determines its speed and meeting of deadlines and maintenance of schedules. Whether its by flawed design or by over-use, propellers suffer from certain problems which affect the marine operations negatively. Firstly, the common propeller problems should be mentioned since knowing ..
December 17, 2014
What Really Is Bunkering; Regards to LNG and Added Risks.
You may have encountered the term “bunker” in a general discussion; however, the relation and context is usually military installations or personal safety during extreme conditions. Bunkering, for the maritime context, is a term describing a process of supplying fuel to ships for own usage; found in ports. Another relevant term/acronym ..
December 14, 2014
Recovery of Lost Data
The modern world has embraced the integration of digital technology into our everyday life where storage of important data is mostly done via digital mediums such as hard-drives on PCs and USB sticks. However, like physical media the digital analogue can also be lost and corrupted therefore rendering it useless; demanding special precautions and al ..
December 10, 2014
Shipping Agencies and their Mistakes
For the uninitiated, a shipping agency or agent is a designated organisation or person whose responsibility is to handle cargo and other shipments; protecting general interests of customers at ports and harbours; on behalf of ship owners and operators. Some tasks done by a shipping agency include ensuring the berthing of incoming ships, collecting ..
December 7, 2014
How to Manage Power Aboard
Energy consumption is a major issue at sea as each vessel has its limits in terms of energy efficiency which, if violated will result in a failure of systems and therefore take toll on the crew. We have seen ship systems fail during a voyage and now, with newer builds aiming to reduce impact on […] ..
December 3, 2014
A Discussion on a Few Technological Enhancements.
The integration of technology into the industrial world is a persistent subject of many debates regarding its impact; is it complicating or easing operations? Though the debate is open-ended and thus have relatively endless answers it is still possible to limit the scope and present facts while making an effort to relate back to a real-life [ ..
November 30, 2014
Exploring the Black Market principle
We all have heard about this concept; either from popular media such as films and word-of-mouth thus have our understandings of what it may be. Some assume that a black market is where terrorists and mercenaries get their arsenal while pirates trade their loot to other visitors; mostly the aforementioned, refugees and low-class people. However, [ ..
November 26, 2014
Health Hazards Seafarers should Know Better
The Ebola outbreak did serious damage on the global maritime landscape where many seafarers had suffered due to this outbreak. However, Ebola is not the only dangerous disease at sea therefore it is worth discussing other infections which are equally as dangerous as Ebola. Dilipan Thomas of marineinsight.com (2014) has written about the 7 dangerous ..
November 23, 2014
A Word on Corruption
Where there is high financial assets, legal regulation or commodity movement lies corruption; done with different motivations and endgames. Corruption is legally defined as a fraudulent intention to bypass prohibitions of law. Corruption is also defined by abuse of official positions and/or stations with actions contrary to duties and obligations f ..
November 18, 2014
Dissection of a Non-Disclosure Agreement
A confidentiality/non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legal contract between two parties willing to cooperate; outlining certain material, knowledge and/or information to be ‘confidential’ and therefore restricted for general access/viewing. The common category of information held/protected by an NDA is mostly client, customer informati ..
November 11, 2014
Looking at Ship Salvage
The maritime industry is full of professionals who are experts in their own fields. However, upon encountering another aspect of the industry when attending to some operations it is important to note that experts know more about their own profession therefore less about aspects not in relation to them. Therefore, leaving a conclusion that working [ ..
November 9, 2014
Internet aboard Voyaging Ships: The Weigh-In.
The maritime sphere embraces modern technology at a fast pace where new technology never before used here makes appearances and shifts the landscape of the industry. Before, we discussed robotics and its potential uses in the maritime industry; opening new innovations to aspects such as rescue and salvage operations. However, the topic here is Inte ..
November 5, 2014
Attacking Offshore Installations in Pespective
In a previous entry we discussed safety at ports during a riot, a phenomenon that unfortunately grows more common in the modern geo-political scenario as industries conflict with interest of employees and the local populous. However, this article will try to discuss another danger in the maritime sector; oil rig safety. Oil rigs are important [ ..
November 3, 2014
Violence at Ports: Containing the Situation
The 21st century grows more troubled as the economic and geo-political situation grows more unstable and maritime is no exception as civil unrest and social disorders erupt at ports and attached facilities. Recently, unrest has erupted in ports in the form of employee strikes which were received with deadly force from law enforcement and port [ ..
October 29, 2014
The Suez Canal Expansion; More Sustainable Approach
So with the largest maritime project in recent memory being in full force and therefore attracting more and more specialists in different fields; including dredging. The dredging specialists here are Great Lakes Dredge and Dock corporation (GLDD) who signed a contract of $540 million. The contract involves the widening and deepening to 79 feet of ..
October 27, 2014
Owning a Tanker in the 21st Century; Laws, Costs and Logistics
Recently, in October 24th Genesis Energy L.P acquired the M/T American Phoenix tanker for $157 million from Mid Ocean Tanker Company; whose hull was bought at a bankruptcy auction. This acquisition will augment Genesis Energy’s existing marine operations with its inland barge business with 62 barges and 24 push/tow boats. The M/T American Pho ..
October 22, 2014
What Disables a Modern Vessel?
October 20th 2014 saw an incident where a Russian vessel went disabled due to an engine room fire which left it without propulsion. This warrants further analysis as most modern vessels are just as prone to malfunction as the older ones; hindering maritime operations and creating more losses for the operator and the crew of […] ..
October 20, 2014
Dangerous Goods and Logistics
The maritime industry is a mixture of numerous different spheres along with the transport of dangerous goods therefore, bringing the related issues into the equation. Safety, thus becomes a priority as even a minor error within operations can result in massive and occasionally irreversible damage to the ship and environment. So what qualifies as ..
October 16, 2014
Cyber-Terrorism at Sea
Companies and private individuals are a common target for cyber-criminals and terrorists where a variety of acts such as identity theft, hacking and even ransomware attacks where the entire system is encrypted and the owner is forced to pay ransom for de-cryption. However, this happens not only on land but also in maritime as it […] ..
October 14, 2014
Historical and Modern Relevance of Radar Equipment
Radar equipment is an important part of the modern world of technology which however, does not receive enough attention from the maritime sphere. This lack of attention possibly, will lead to more collisions and other navigation disasters aboard vessels where the barge we surveyed, after reading the survey report it appears that the radar placement ..
October 12, 2014
A New Collision is Born
After completing a survey of a barge and analysing the causes and nature of the damages alongside estimating the possible costs of repairs; it is beneficial to discuss barge stability as well as proper procedure following the damage circumstances. According to Towmasters, (2009) there exist 3 common collision scenarios for barge damage where the ve ..
October 6, 2014
Vessel Retrospective: DMS “Conquest”
Henderson International has been operating from Dubai, UAE for 29 years and with a back catalog of successful maritime operations and vessel designs it is worth looking back and describing what went into each of them; giving insight to our approaches and attitudes towards our work and contributions towards the international maritime sphere. Along w ..
September 30, 2014
Maritime Potential of Robots
Robotics has been in the commercial sphere for a long time from car factories to medicine and now it has taken a new approach in the from of “soft” robotic technology. This sub-field is a spin-off from bio-mimicking, a field that mimics nature. Biological systems are, therefore created/modeled after living organisms; however their natur ..
September 28, 2014
Oceans; A Saving Grace for Energy?
September 24th 2014 marks the start of a collaboration between 2x enterprises; Minesto and Atlantis, to complete a sustainable maritime initiative; creating a new tidal turbine. The project received 750,000 EUR in funding from Eurostars; a program that supports research-based small+medium enterprises who develop innovations and services with a tota ..
September 25, 2014
Damage Control and Safety: Our Analysis.
Damage control is an aspect that determines the success of a maritime operation; where a professional marine survey is where it all begins where a vessel is looked at in great detail. To understand damage and its consequences as well as how to avoid it one must understand safety first therefore our discussion starts here. […] ..
September 23, 2014
Approaching Naval Stability
A ship’s stability can be defined as its ability and tendency to return to its original state as it completes its tasks and occasionally used to extremes of its capabilities. The stability factor plays a part when a vessel interacts with external forces when they are applied and removed; making the vessel, at first sustaining […] ..
September 22, 2014
The Appendices of LNG Shipping
September 19th 2014 IMO introduced a new panel to address new LNG/Liquid Natural Gas ships and optimise eco-friendly vessel designs to work better under current situations. As with every new and ambitious innovation, side-effects are present as LNG ships are, arguably more dangerous; with examples ranging from making ships more prone to explosions ..
September 21, 2014
Motivations, Calculations and Mistakes; Creating the Optimal Training Routine
Management is a practice commonly applied to the usage of variables to solve a problem concerning a given situation depending on the skills and the variables themselves present at-hand. Management, with respect to maritime, breaks down into 2x types; risk and sovereignty management where the former addresses identification and mitigation of threat ..
September 17, 2014
HI48M Landing Craft; A Productive Investment
This build was designed by us and used for transportation of different goods such as vehicles and other types of cargo; with a dead weight/ship’s loading capacity which includes bunkers and propulsion supplies of 400 tonnes and a trial speed of 11 knots. The build holds 350 tonnes having a deck area of 350 m2 […] ..
September 17, 2014
TORM SOFIA; Self-Defense at Sea
June 28th 2014 in the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, a pirate skiff approached the vessel TORM SOFIA only to be successfully repelled by the ship’s crew and thus reaching its destination, New York, safely. Piracy is a common obstacle within the maritime industry with many vessels falling victim to this very obstacle, making entrance […] ..
September 16, 2014
Northern Sea Challenges
The North Sea is an important front for commercial shipping worldwide; being the most used shipping lane and front for commercial fishing and tourism; along with a more recent discovery of energy generation via fossil fuels, wind and wave power. The North Sea is considered to have the busiest ports in the world and Rotterdam […] ..
September 15, 2014
Advice; Shipping During Epidemics
17th July 2014 marks the outbreak of the Chikungunya virus in the French West Indies and Guyana; no vaccine or cure is present as if now. The virus is characterized by abrupt fever and joint pain along with fatigue and bodily rashes; however the virus is not fatal but still detrimental to the maritime scene altogether. Oceans […] ..
September 15, 2014
Soft-Starter Technology
Technology is a sphere that frequently updates itself with new elements and inventions to fit a certain purpose and occasionally replace older iterations in fulfilling a certain role with some improvements and new functions. The shipping industry is a fusion of different technologies which network and combine to move ships, operate port machinery a ..
September 11, 2014
Fairchem Bogey; Things to learn….
MT Fairchem Bogey, a chemical tanker was hijacked back in 2011 at port in the Gulf of Oman while sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, 21 Indian sailors were on board. It was hijacked by Somali pirates who boarded the vessel ferrying a cattle load, while being anchored and it was unclear whether the ship […] ..
September 11, 2014
Why is Globalisation a Problem for Maritime
Globalisation is vital for international business and for development of industries like maritime; however, after researching deeper it is discovered that it is a problem for maritime industries for varied reasons. Firstly, globalisation closely relates to territorial disputes as different parties enter foreign territories and thus bring about conf ..
September 10, 2014
A Word on Nuclear Waste at Sea
July 2nd 2014 the US MV Cape Ray ship was deployed to destroy a stockpile of chemical weapons as a part of an international effort to neutralise the threat of weapons of mass destruction. Chemical weapons would be disposed at sea with guarantee that it would not damage the marine ecology. Chemical weapons significantly differ […] ..
September 10, 2014
Measurement and Building Techniques of Modern Shipbuilding
Measurement is a term which talks about precision, calculations and predictions for future initiatives; important aspects of ship-building and many other maritime operations ranging from vessel surveys of all types to designs of new builds altogether. Measurement, like vessel builds undergo regular updates and investigation which leads to new pract ..
September 7, 2014
Human Factor: Effect on Maritime
“Human and organisational influences on maritime safety and system performance ” US Coast Guard. The global maritime scene is a big part of globalisation and therefore attracts international attention; becoming one of the driving forces behind the global expansion of businesses. However, with the economic situations being of varied stab ..
September 3, 2014
Flags of Convenience Ships: What Are They?
“Flag of any country allowing registration of foreign-owned, controlled vessels.” Boczek, 1962. Cambridge-Harvard. The landscape of maritime changes in terms of legal and human rights aspects and not only associating with piracy and terrorism; though relating to both in some ways; FOC/Flags of Convenience vessels. As defin ..
September 1, 2014
Vessels Can Get Banned; Here is How Yours Wouldn’t be…
“Vessels that do not meet such standards, including standards for the welfare and treatment of crew, pose an increased risk to seafarers, safe operations and the marine environment,” Allan Schwartz, AMSA Ship Safety Division. August 29th 2014 the Australian Maritime Safety Agency/AMSA issued a banning order to Vega Auriga, a German-owne ..
August 27, 2014
Green Ship Technology part 2: How to do it using Existing Technology?
We spoke of the “Green Ship” concept before; talking about the types of pollution and emissions from conventional ships and what long-term effects it can leave. Now, it is time to talk about the feasibility of the Green Ship with existing technology; possible to conceive and maintain as well as still have the same efficiency […] ..
August 25, 2014
Engine Room: Variety of Machines and Accidents.
On August 18th 2014 an engine room fire aboard the Bahamian flagged 485ft chemical tanker not only disabled the vessel but killed a crew member out of the 22. The vessel remained without propulsion 700 miles west Cape Blanco. A ship’s engine room is home to a variety of machines with a single purpose which is […] ..
August 24, 2014
Incinerators; Discussion of By-Products.
In the previous entry it was established that an incinerator is a requirement by MARPOL aboard any vessel and is an cost-effective way of waste disposal. However before the focus was possible errors that can hinder its operations therefore, it is worth dissecting the entire mechanism. Firstly, in theory the type of waste that gets […] ..
August 20, 2014
The Incinerator Machine
Waste, especially at sea is a continuous nuisance as it is mostly solid and occasionally toxic and damaging to environment; however it is something that cannot disappear and warrants a stable disposal method: the incinerator. Incineration is used in medicine, land-based waste disposal and now on ships where easier methods of disposal are unavailabl ..
August 19, 2014
How to Navigate in Limited Visibility: Proper Procedures
It is fairly common in shipping to sail into a zone which has minimal visibility for either weather changes, climate conditions or man-made factors such as intense fire causing thick smoke. This presents immediate danger for the ship and its crew as it increases chances of collision and later on, pollution. While no one can […] ..
August 18, 2014
Marine Consultancy: What and Why?
We all heard and possibly employed many consultants when addressing so-called expert matters; needing attention from those “specialising” in a certain field. Consultants are a common sight in the modern corporate sphere and working in many different spheres from business to legal to our industry, maritime. However the question that rema ..
August 17, 2014
Project Management: First Step to Ship Building.
The landscape of the maritime industry is changing, with modern-day changes occurring at a faster pace with major waterways such as the Suez canal being renovated and expanded, creating new conditions for shipping which may not be met by current vessels. The faster pace of modern maritime demands vessels to evolve equally fast which means [… ..
August 13, 2014
Ebola; The Virus and The Measures to Take Onboard.
Ebola is the latest viral hazard that is a threat to many aspects of life in the modern world; including sectors that exist on globalisation and international travel. This virus, currently, has no cure and thus is a bigger threat as more people die from exposure which warrants a more in-depth analysis on the […] ..
August 12, 2014
Ocean of Diseases; Ebola vs Chikungunya
17th July 2014 marks the outbreak of a mosquito-borne virus Chikungunya in the French West Indies and Guyana; no vaccine or cure is present as if now. The virus is characterized by abrupt fever and joint pain along with fatigue and bodily rashes; however the virus is not fatal. Such viruses make shipping harder for […] ..
August 10, 2014
Abandoning Ship; The only resort in a Sea Tragedy?
Tragedy at sea is a common occurrence where it is likely for the vessel to be uncontrollable as equipment will malfunction and crew will endure mental and physical struggle; adding possible mutiny to the equation; creating an extremely difficult situation. Assume that a vessel is stranded in bad weather and has trouble keeping afloat; decreasing [ ..
August 6, 2014
Oil Spills: Avoiding Pollution
Oil Spills: Avoiding Pollution. From time to time, despite legislations and increased attention to oil-related matters of maritime; we are still facing many incidents of oil spill pollution and hence damage to the sea ecology. Firstly, most oil spills happen due to human error which itself happened due to lack of knowledge from the perspective [ ..
July 21, 2014
Ballast Water, Hulls and Anchors; What lives on it?
Ballast water is essential for effective operation of a vessel; however it also contributes to life and invasion of alien species present only in ballast water that invades marine ecology and displaces native organisms. Alien species enter ballast water through a barrier that directs water into flood-able holds or ballast tanks; small organi ..
June 30, 2014
Green/Eco-friendly ship part 1: Analysis of Common Types of Maritime Pollution.
Most of people within the maritime industry are aware of the by-product which comes with the field itself as ships release a lot of pollutants into the sea. So what goes in the ship in order to operate effectively and what comes out that damages ecology? Starting from what makes the ship move; Fuel oil. […] ..
June 30, 2014
Yachting and Welding
http://www.marineinsight.com/marine/marine-news/videos/massive-fire-on-a-pleasure-yacht/ June 24th a 112-foot yacht blazed while being parked in a marina and undergoing repairs for several months; being called a welding accident by witnesses, fire began from the lower deck. Welding accidents, along with damage to vessels, also lead to death of crew ..
June 30, 2014
Piracy: A Legal Challenge?
Piracy is nowadays, compared to terrorism due to certain factors being shared such as hostage taking, setting of demands/ ransoms but the main difference among the two phenomena is that terrorism usually exists in established states that are under control and jurisdiction of a legal system presented by the government of those states; thus terrorist ..
June 30, 2014
Attention to Piracy increased, but what to expect in the future?
Maritime Piracy is a serious and prominent issue for the maritime industry which is common on the coast of Somalia and on the rise in the Gulf of Guinea. Pirate attacks, though reduced significantly, are still a threat and thus worry European ship owners leading them to call on the EU parliament and council of ministers; […] ..
February 3, 2014
1987 – Company moves its Offices
1987 – Company moves its offices to downtown Dubai as a result of the increased business requiring more space for staff increases ..
February 3, 2014
Operations Started
1985 – Henderson International Group starts as “Henderson Marine Consultants” in Dubai in the World Trade Centre ..
February 3, 2014
Welcome To Henderson International Group
The Henderson International Group, a World Wide Organisation, is a full service Marine Consultancy. HENDERSON INTERNATIONAL GROUP is a world leader in the provision of Survey, Marine Consultancy, Engineering Design, Yacht Design and Engineering, and Business Consultancy to the offshore and shipping industry. Operations started in 1985 in Dubai and ..