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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: [email protected]
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.