SAFETY AT SEA:

The Weather and Maritime Accidents at Sea

August, Friday 13, 2010.

Relevant features to remember and

study:

Weather conditions have a great in-

fluence on the safety during a voya-

ge.

The state of the atmosphere is deter-

mined by various meteorological ele-

ments.

It´s necessary to know the kinds of

systems that you can find at sea.

It´s needed to learn the Beaufort-

Wind Scale to have a safety voyage.

It´s mandatory to learn the types of

accidents and their consecuencies as

well as the safety factors that can

keep you safety at sea.

GREEN TO GREEN, RED

TO RED, PERFECT

SAFETY: GO AHEAD.

Phone: (507) 314-1302 Fax: (507) 314-1670 E-mail: tanitacollado@hotmail.com

Edilma C. de Llorente

Oficinas Administrativas: Universidad Marítima de Panamá (UMIP) La Boca, Calle Principal, Edificio 911. Panamá City, Republic of Pnamá.

Recommendations Do a voyage planning before depar-

ture. Know the weather conditions of the

area. Take into consideration the dafety

factors at sea. Work as a team on board a vessel. Avoid miscommunication on board.

DURING THE LAST 2 DECADES

ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY DIF-

FERENT FACTORS HAS CALLED

THE ATTENTION FROM THE

MARITIME WORLD. THAT´S

WHY THE WEATHER IS A

RELEVANT TOPIC TO DISCUSS.

THE WEATHER IS THE CONDI-

TION OF THE ATMOSPHERE AT

ANY PARTICULAR TIME AND

PLACE. SOME METEOROLOGI-

CAL ELEMENTS ARE FOR EX-

AMPLE HUMIDITY, TEMPERATURE, CLOUDINESS,

FOG AND WIND. LET´S ANALIZE THEM A LITTLE

BIT.

TEMPERATURE: IT CAN BE MEASURED WITH THREE DIFFER-

ENT TYPES OF SCALES: KELVIN, CELCIUS OR FHARENHEIT

SCALES.

HUMIDITY: IT IS THE AMOUNT OF WATER VAPOR IN THE

AIR.

CLOUDINESS: IT INDICATES AN IMMINENT CHANGE IN THE

WEATHER.

FOG: IT´S A CLOUND THAT TOUCHES THE GROUND. WHEN

THERE IS DENSE FOG, WE CAN SAY THERE IS THICK

WEATHER.

PRECIPITATION: IT´S FORMED WHEN THA DROPLETS HAVE

BECOME SUFFICIENTLY LARGE TO FALL TO THE GROUND.

WIND: IT´S THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR OR ELEMENT

BECAUSE IT DETERMINES THE CONDITION OF THE WEATHER.

The Weather Systems

There are two types of weather systems in the general

weather patterns: the anticyclones and the depressions

or cyclones.

Anticyclone System: it´s a high pressure area. In the

Northern hemisphere, the wind circulates in a clockwise

direction, while in the Southern hemisphere it does in

an anti-clockwise direction.

Cyclone System: it´s a low pressure area. In the North-

ern hemisphere, the wind blows in an anti-clockwise

direction, while in the Southern it blows in a clockwise

direction.

The Beaufort Wind Scale

The Beaufort Scale indicates the wind-speed measured

in nautical miles per hour in order to observe sea condi-

tions within a specific area.

What is the Weather?

Types of

Weather

Maritime Accidents There are different types of accidents at sea accor-

ding to their consecuencies : Catatrophic consecuencies:total loss of ship /cargo.

Major consecuencies:severe damage of ship/cargo

Moderate consecuencies:significant damage to ship Minor consecuencies:minor damage to ship/cargo.

Examples:

Safety Factors

Internal Factors:navigational instruments, ship´s di-

mensions and draft. External Factors: weather conditions, currents and

tides, characteristics of fairways. Human Factors: good semanship, quality of the sea-

farers on board.