With over 1,000 spontaneous lithium battery fires reported each week, it’s crucial for all yacht owners to make informed decisions about lithium battery storage. 

Lithium-ion batteries can cause fires or explosions due to thermal runaway. Thermal runaway occurs when a lithium-ion battery cell creates more heat than it can effectively disperse 

Lithium-ion batteries can start fires :

                      When they are overcharged,

                      The incorrect charger is used,

                      The device or battery has been damaged,

                      There is a system fault or product defect. 

The liquid electrolyte containing these lithium ions is highly volatile and flammable, which creates a serious risk of fire or explosion

To prevent lithium-ion battery overheating, consider the following safety measures:

1. Monitor Charging Temperatures:

   • Charge batteries within safe temperature ranges.
   • Use chargers specifically designed for lithium-ion batteries with built-in temperature monitoring.

2. Avoid Overcharging:

   • Be cautious about leaving devices plugged in after reaching full charge to prevent excessive heat buildup.

3. Cooling Provisions:

   • Implement cooling mechanisms such as fans or heat sinks to dissipate excess heat from the battery pack.
   • Link cooling provisions to a Battery Management System (BMS) to reduce battery pack temperature if it gets too hot.
   • Ensure proper monitoring of the BMS to prevent indirect failure of the lithium-ion batteries.

4. Insulation and Thermal Management:

   • Use insulation materials to protect batteries from extreme temperatures.
   • Optimize thermal management systems to prevent thermal runaway and ignition of fire.

Remember that proper education, storage, and recycling of lithium-ion batteries are crucial for safety. Let’s keep our energy storage technology secure and reliable.

For more information contact:

European Marine Services Ltd

Marine Surveyors & Consultants | ADR & Mediation  |  Expert Witness 
www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
Tel: (44) 01603 327 123

Wood Constructed Vessels – Buyer beware

Caveat emptor – wood rot is a prevalent issue in most wooden vessels

Any prospective purchaser must fully appreciate and understand that the surveyor is NOT able to give an opinion or guarantee as to the extent or degree or equally qualify the degradation / wood rot found at time of inspection WITHOUT EXPOSING SAME.  It is for example quite normal to find sample areas of wood rot in the centre of a plank, but not the inside. And until the plank is removed the extent or degree of any further degradation is an unknown. Therefore, the extent and degree of (any) consequential wood rot penetration & spread, is an unknown and cannot be verified by the surveyor

Equally in any underlying sub-structure scantlings such as timbers, ribs, frames & bearers etc, the full extent and degree of any degradation (wood rot) of such sub-structure, will not be apparent or visible until such time as any fixed structure such as planking, furniture, decks, floors etc are removed thus exposing the sub-structure and enabling further examination

It is therefore prerequisite that any prospective buyer factors in the above when making an offer, plus the possible and consequential increased repair costs.

The following are file photos of a recent inspection highlighting a motor yacht’s wood hull – general condition and the extent of the structural work necessary to put right, plus the associated high labour costs involved

For more information contact:

European Marine Services Ltd

Marine Surveyors & Consultants | ADR Mediation  |  Expert Witness 
www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
Tel: (44) 01603 327 123

British marine and leisure firm Broom Boats of Brundall, which has operated on the Norfolk Broads for 125 years, has been put up for sale.

Located on the River Yare, Broom Boats was established in 1898 and is known for building boats and its fleet of charter vessels. The business also operates as a marina and boat yard, offering repair and maintenance services, although its boatbuilding arm closed in 2018.

Specialist business property adviser Christie & Co has been instructed to sell Broom Boats of Brundall on behalf of Broom Marine Group.

Local news outlet Eastern Daily Press reports that the owners want to sell so they can focus on their other company, a strategic land and property development business.

The business originally established a hire fleet in 1912, enabling clients to explore the unique landscape of the Norfolk Broads National Park. Today, the business operates one of the newest fleets on the Norfolk Broads.

The 8.6-acre (3.49 ha) freehold site provides over 72,000 sq ft (6,719 sq m) of marine-related buildings together with 78 private marina berths and a £3.28m hire fleet comprising 24 luxury cruisers and six electrically operated day-craft and two fishing boats.

The most recent addition to the business was the acquisition of the former Yare public house adjacent to the site entrance in 2022. The property underwent a £600,000 transformation, opening in October 2022 as The White Heron with a food menu introduced in April 2023 and B&B from boats moored adjacent to the pub in November last year.

Christie & Co says offers are invited for the business, which will be sold as a going concern, with staff transferring to a new owner at completion.

“We’ve witnessed an uptick in demand for both inland and coastal marina and boating businesses over the last 18 months,” says Jon Patrick, head of leisure and development at Christie & Co, who is handling the sale process. “This has come from existing UK and European operators, as well as boating and marine enthusiasts and investors.

“However, we’ve also seen greater activity in the sector from owners of holiday parks and associated leisure hospitality businesses, which do share some similarities in terms of the underlying business model with marinas. As a result, we anticipate that interest in Broom Boats will come from a diverse range of parties.”

Courtesy of Industry News

For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd. 

     Marine Surveyors & Consultants | ADR Mediation  |  Expert Witness 
www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
Tel: (44) 01603 327 123

In mid and late 2023 European Marine Services undertook two most interesting marine insurance surveys / inspections of    2x Rannoch R45 Ocean Row Boats

Team ‘HODL’  (Hold on for Dear Life) Rowing the Pacific Ocean from USA to Hawaii – 3 Man Crew   

  Team HODL

Pacific Rowing Challenge 2023

Team HODL is a 3-person crew taking on the challenge of rowing across the Pacific Ocean, from Monterey Bay California to Hawaii, to raise donations for the Ocean Cleanup Charity. It’s a 2,800 mile journey that if completed in under 60 days, becomes a World Record too. 

It’s a project that started with planning 18 months ago. At the beginning, the team had no financial resources or boat. They spent their early days doing marketing stunts such as rowing on a borrowed rowing machine in parks. This got them press attention and then allowed them to reach out to sponsors. From there, the project grew larger and larger, with media attention coming from ITV, BBC and Sky News. 

As mentioned, the journey will take around 60 days and within that, each person will roughly row 16 hours a day, and rest for 8 hours. The shift pattern is to row for 3 hours and rest 90 minutes at a time. That rest does not necessarily mean sleep as they need to fuel themselves, hydrate, clean their bodies and maintain any issues with the boat. On average, each crew member will consume between 5,000 – 6,000 kcal per day and drink around 6 litres of water. The water is produced through a water-maker that separates the water and the salts from the sea water.

Team  ‘The Big Oardeal’  Rowing the Atlantic Ocean from Canary Isles to Antigua – 4 Man Crew       

Team ‘The Big Oardeal’

” Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge”

Starting from San Sebastián de La Gomera in the Canary Islands and finishing in Antigua.

Rowing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and hoping to complete the journey in about 35 days.

Rowing over 1.5 million strokes, burning 5,000 + calories a day, and facing waves up to 20 feet high.

Rowing a 28-foot Rannoch RX45 specially designed for ocean voyages

Update 16 Jan 2024:  Day 34 Currently lying in 12th position with 600nm left to row. The lead boat is almost there

File photos

For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd. 

     Marine Surveyors & Consultants | ADR Mediation  |  Expert Witness 
www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
Tel: (44) 01603 327 123

Princess 95′ PPI Pre-delivery Inspection undertaken by EMS

Plymouth-based Princess Yachts, Britain’s largest luxury boatbuilder, has been sold to a US-based private equity firm.

Princess was put up for sale in 2022 by private equity group L Catterton, who reportedly hired bankers at Macquarie to find a buyer.

In a statement issued this morning (14 February 2023), Princess confirms that KPS Capital Partners has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a controlling equity interest in the business.

KPS is a New York-based private equity giant that makes controlling equity investments in manufacturing companies, in North America and Europe. The firm has approximately $14.4 billion of capital under management, as of September 2022.

In 2019, KPS acquired the fitness equipment business of Brunswick Corporation, including the Life Fitness brand, for $490 million in cash.

Existing shareholders will retain ownership in Princess, with the transaction expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2023.

The moves come after the company announced expansion plans last year as part of the successful bid by Plymouth city council to create a freeport in the region. Princess says this new investment from KPS will ‘help support these plans and reinforce the unique national and international marine capabilities that reside in Plymouth and the wider South West region’.

The Princess business was founded in 1965, and distributes through a 50-strong global network. It had been backed by L Catterton and its predecessor entity since 2008.

Ryan Harrison, a partner of KPS Mid-Cap Investments, says: “We are excited to make this significant investment in Princes Yachts, a leading company in the luxury global yachting industry with an iconic brand grounded in British tradition, a remarkable and growing product range, and world-wide reputation for quality and innovation.

“KPS’ investment will accelerate Princess’ growth trajectory and fund numerous investments for its future. We look forward to working with Princess’ existing stockholders, chief executive officer, Antony Sheriff, the senior leadership team, and the talented employee base at Princess Yachts.”

Antony Sheriff, Princess Yachts‘ chief executive, adds: “We are thrilled to partner with KPS for this exciting new chapter for Princess Yachts. KPS and the Princess Yachts team are deeply committed to investing in the company’s future while continuing to further strengthen our portfolio of best-in-class motor yachts. With a current order book nearing a record $1 billion and many model lines sold into 2025, we have never been in a stronger commercial position.

“Together with KPS’ tremendous track record of manufacturing excellence and investing in leading brands, we are now positioned to take Princess Yachts to the next level of industry leadership in quality and innovation. Under KPS’ ownership, we will accelerate a range of growth and operational initiatives to build upon our long and successful history.”

Acknowledgement to Marine Industry News

For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd. 

     Marine Surveyors & Consultants | ADR Mediation  |  Expert Witness 
www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
Tel: (44) 01603 327 123

The International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC) in Portsmouth is to close in March 2023.

IBTC Portsmouth teaches traditional wooden boatbuilding and joinery techniques, in the heart of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard on the English south coast.

In a brief media statement announcing the news, the college explains that the decision to close has “been a very difficult one to make and has not been taken lightly”, and reassures that all current students will graduate as planned.

The statement reads: “Rising costs and falling student numbers have made it impossible to continue. Our current students will graduate as planned, but no more students will be enrolled and the college will close completely in March 2023. We understand that this will be upsetting news for many who hoped to study with us in future years.

“We hope that you take comfort from knowing that there are still two excellent boatbuilding colleges in England: IBTC Lowestoft and the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis.

“We are immensely grateful to Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust, which rescued the College when it fell into financial difficulties in 2017. They have raised funds, invested in our team, and provided practical support throughout the last five years. We wish to thank them and our amazing staff for all the hard work and dedication to traditional wooden boatbuilding that they have demonstrated.

“Boathouse 4, the beautiful inter-war building where we are based, will remain open and continue to be an important hub for boat restoration and maintenance skills. Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust’s team of brilliant volunteers and staff will maintain the Trust’s world-class collection of historic boats in the building for years to come.”

Hannah Cunliffe, director of National Historic Ships UK says: “It is sad to hear of the closure of IBTC Portsmouth, which has been a nucleus for passing on traditional skills since its opening in 2015. However, I’m pleased that Boathouse 4 will be continuing its role as our Shipshape Hub in the South East, offering support to the sector whilst displaying and caring for the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust’s significant vessel collection.”

Since IBTC Portsmouth opened its doors in 2015, it has trained over 100 students. Many have gone on to forge careers in boatbuilding, boat restoration, and allied industries; preserving traditional skills for future generations. The college says it is immensely proud of students’ success, and its “small part” in it.

For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd. 

     Marine Surveyors & Consultants | ADR Mediation  |  Expert Witness 
www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
Tel: (44) 01603 327 123

Upon the instructions of the Norfolk Wherry Trust, European Marine Services Ltd had the pleasure of undertaking a Hull Condition Inspection on the Wherry Albion, the Wherry being out of the water at Cox’s Boatyard, Barton Turf

Cox’s, Barton Turf being one of the few facilities that is able to handle with ease a vessel of this size and weight

General Description of the Wherry Albion

The Wherry Albion is a traditional wherry, and until the completion of Maud was the only trading wherry in sailing order. She is a classic wherry in form with the black sail that characterised the trading wherries, although she is the only one ever to have been carvel-built – her hull is made with planks that are flush at the seams.

She was built at Lake Lothing, located between Oulton Broad & Lowestoft Harbour. Suffolk in the yard of William Brighton. Her “shed” was an old ice house which was demolished after she was launched.

Dimensions: 58ft. x 15ft. x 4ft. 6ins. (17.69m x 4.57m x 1.37m), or, if the rudder is included 65ft. overall. Unladen weight 23 tons

Albion was built for the firm of Bungay Maltsters, W.D. and A.E. Walker in c 1898 and has been known to carry up to 45 tons of general cargo to include coal, wood, sugar beet, ice and manure

Outline:

The hull was extensively coated with tar varnish up to approximately ½” thick, which tar varnish has now been removed exposing the bottom planking and seams

The interior central cargo hold had all flooring removed exposing all scantlings / structure and providing good access.

Lengths of 1.5 inch thick oak planking have already been removed due to overall structural deterioration, currently awaiting replacement oak boards.

The original hardwood laminated keel has been removed and replaced with a purpose designed steel box sectioned (aft) and deep mild steel continuous USB keel, being through bolted to the hog and internal members

For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd. 

     Marine Surveyors & Consultants | ADR Mediation  |  Expert Witness 
www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
Tel: (44) 01603 327 123

INEOS Britannia has confirmed its core team to lead the British challenge for the 37^th America’s Cup.

As part of the group, the British America’s Cup team joins forces with Mercedes-AMG F1 Applied Science, a division of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, to form INEOS Britannia, which INEOS says will bring together the best of the worlds of high-performance marine and automotive engineering, with the goal to win the America’s Cup for Britain.

Leading INEOS Britannia on and off the water into the 37^th America’s Cup will be Sir Ben Ainslie, four-time Olympic gold medallist and one of only two British sailors to have won the America’s Cup (with Oracle Team USA in 2013) as team principal/CEO and skipper.

Backing the team again is INEOS and INEOS’ chairman and founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who previously supported the team’s 36^th America’s Cup challenge. Sir Ratcliffe says: “The America’s Cup has been 170 years of pain for us in Britain. We’ve had fantastic sailors in this country, but we’ve never had the boat that could win. We believe that assembling this unique collection of elite sports teams will give us a stronger chance of achieving what has never been done before. There are many synergies across our sporting family and what Mercedes F1’s engineering and organisational expertise can add to our America’s Cup challenge is one of the strongest examples of that.”

“The America’s Cup is the ultimate team sport and to be successful you need continuity,” says Ainslie. “It takes time to develop the IP, skills and know-how necessary to be a winning team, especially when you are up against teams with over 25 years’ experience. As we enter our third campaign, we have taken a lot of learnings from our previous challenges and assembled a world class team combining talent from Formula 1 and the America’s Cup. Mercedes-AMG F1 Applied Science bring a legacy of design to the table. They are proven winners, it’s in their DNA, it’s in their culture.”

Leading the design concept for INEOS Britannia’s AC75 boat for the 37^th America’s Cup campaign will be naval designer, Martin Fischer. German-born Fischer was most recently a key part of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s design team for two America’s Cup campaigns, after spending 14 years working on the design of hulls and appendages for numerous projects.

Dave Endean, project director for the team’s 36^th America’s Cup campaign, completes the leadership team as COO, responsible for the day-to-day running and operations of the team’s campaign alongside Ainslie.

James Allison will be the technical lead as chief technical officer of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and INEOS Britannia. Through Mercedes-AMG F1 Applied Science, Geoffrey Willis will be working with INEOS Britannia as technical director, having previously worked in the America’s Cup with Peter de Savary’s Blue Arrow Challenge.

“Our involvement in the 36^th America’s Cup campaign certainly whetted our appetite,” says Allison. “For that campaign we came in quite late into the process and tried to add as much as we could through the design and engineering expertise of our applied science division.

“It was immediately clear to us that the America’s Cup is a very exciting, and very difficult, challenge. This time we are one team, INEOS Britannia, with the team’s design base embedded in our Formula 1 HQ, and the clear goal to bring the America’s Cup back to Britain. We feel very lucky to be involved in this opportunity and we can’t wait for the challenge ahead, it’s a mouth-watering prospect.”

The INEOS Britannia sailing team is currently in the process of reforming following the conclusion of the 36^th America’s Cup. Giles Scott, the team’s tactician in Auckland, has become one of the first sailors to re-sign with the team following his gold medal in the Finn Class in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

As Challenger of Record, INEOS Britannia and Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd are currently working closely with the defender Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) to define a fair Protocol for the 37^th America’s Cup due to be published 17 November. This will include retention of the AC75 class, cost reduction measures to attract a higher number of Challengers, a new crew nationality rule and the Women’s and Youth America’s Cup regattas announced last month.

Acknowledgement to Marine Industry News

For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd. 

     Marine Surveyors & Consultants | ADR Mediation  |  Expert Witness 
www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
Tel: (44) 01603 327 123

Danger – No Carbon Monoxide Alarm fitted

EMS – Always strongly recommend the fitting of a CO Alarm

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published its findings regarding the loss of two lives on a motor cruiser.

The bodies of two men were discovered in the cabin of the privately owned motor cruiser Diversion, which was moored to a quay in the centre of York, England in December 2019.

The boat owner and his friend had spent the previous evening in the city centre socialising with former work colleagues and were spending the night on board. But both men died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. The carbon monoxide had leaked into the cabin from the boat’s diesel-fuelled cabin heater exhaust.

MAIB says it found that the cabin heater’s exhaust silencer was not designed for marine use: its connection to the exhaust pipe system was not gas tight, the installation had not been checked by a professional heater installer, and it had not been serviced.

The cabin ventilation system did not meet the requirements of the Boat Safety Scheme and this might have increased the rate at which the carbon monoxide accumulated in the boat’s cabin space, says MAIB.

The report says three men motored on the boat for a four-mile trip upriver to York city centre, where they had arranged to attend a pre-Christmas social gathering with former work colleagues.

They left the marina at about 12:30pm for York, where the owner and one of his friends, both retired power station engineers, planned to sleep on board Diversion overnight.

The three men went ashore, and spent the afternoon drinking and socialising with their former colleagues in several city centre pubs. One of the men later went home by train.

The owner and his other friend had a meal with some of the group then returned to Diversion.

At about midday on the following day, the families of the owner and his friend became concerned that they had not heard from either man.

They made several telephone calls to try to locate them, but without success, and later in the afternoon they reported their concerns to the police.

A police officer was dispatched to the quayside and confirmed that the boat was still moored there, and that its accommodation was in darkness and no one appeared to be on board.

The officer was then instructed to continue on patrol.

With no further contact from the two men, the families contacted the police once again to express their increasing concern.

At about 20:00, another police officer boarded Diversion and found the main cabin door unlocked, with all lights switched off.

The police officer entered the boat and found the bodies of the owner and his friend in the forward cabin bunk space; one was lying on the floor, the other was seated on the forward cabin entrance steps, and it was apparent that they had prepared themselves to go to bed.

Diversion was towed back to York Marina on 7 December 2019, where it was secured by the police.

On 9 December post-mortems were carried out, which found that the primary cause of death for both men was carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning; both also had caffeine and alcohol in their system.

As a result of the investigation’s initial findings, MAIB previously issued a safety bulletin, which has since been referenced in Boat Safety Scheme publications and was featured in the 2020 Carbon Monoxide awareness week.