Ship-source pollution by polychlorinated biphenyls and brominated flame retardants

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are groups of anthropogenic contaminants that have been routinely used in many applications for several decades. Prior to the discovery of their detrimental health effects and subsequent implementation of regulatory measures they were widely applied in shipbuilding. They are still found onboard active and inactive ships and pose a risk to human and environment. Therefore, it is important to continue to carry out preventive actions. Incorporating life-cycle thinking is necessary in order to minimise the environmental impact of persistent pollutant emissions by ships. Reducing the use of toxic or untested alternatives in shipbuilding in accordance with precautionary principle could contribute to sustainability of shipping

Inspections on Board Oil Tankers: Present Situation and Suggestion for Improvement

Oil tanker inspections have an important role in enhancing safety and minimizing the risk of oil pollution. However, research has indicated that inspection items are overlapping among inspection regimes observed in a given time span on board oil tankers, thus making negative impact on ship safety, unnecessarily consuming shipboard human resources and having adverse economic effects. In this paper, current inspections performed on board oil tankers have been presented, including duration, intensity and average costs, directly or indirectly paid by shipowners. Our analysis of surveyed components by all regimes has showed that it is possible to reduce critical inspection parameters without compromising safety by introducing a unified inspection method. A content of such inspection, consisting of 529 components, has been presented. Performing the proposed inspection method and sharing its results among interested parties of oil tanker safety regime has been suggested as a measure that could improve oil tanker safety and pollution prevention

RAZVOJ VIRTUALNIH VALUTA I UTJECAJ NA FINANCIJSKE INSTITUCIJE : Završni rad

U ovom radu se analizira i definira problematika vezana uz virtualne valute. Kroz rad je obraĎena cjelokupna tematika vritualnih valuta, odnosno pojmovno je definirano značenje virtualnih valuta. Problematika rada odnosila se na pojavu virtualnih valuta, odnosno njihov utjecaj na rad financijskih institucija. Posebna pozornost autora je bila na utjecaju koje bi pojava decentraliziranih tehnologija poput Blockchain tehnologije na kojoj su bazirane virtualne valute imala na poslovanje kreditnih institucija, provoĎenje monetarne politike i rad centralnih banka. Cilj ovoga rada bio je pribliţiti značenje pojma virtualnih valuta, istraţiti na koji način funkcoiniraju virtualne valute, analizirati prednosti, karakteristike, ali i rizike koji se veţu uz pojam virtualnih valuta. Analizirala se i mogućnost implemetnacije virtualnih valuta za ekonomski razvoj, kao i sveukupni utjecaj na ekonomiju. Nadalje, moţe se zaključiti da je upotreba virtualnih valuta sve veća u današnjem globaliziranom svijetu. Virutalna valuta i virtualni novac dobivaju sve više na vaţnosti, a takoĎer svojom pojavom i evolucijom počinju utjecati na svjetsko trţište kroz monetarnu politiku pojedinih drţava. Rezultat ovog istraţivanja je da u trenutku pisanja ovoga rada virtualne valute imaju minimalan utjecaj na rad financijskih institucija.This paper analyzes and defines issues related to virtual currencies. The paper deals with the whole topic of virtual currencies, ie the meaning of virtual currencies is defined. Issues related to the appearance of virtual currencies, that is, their impact on the work of financial institutions. The authors' particular attention was given to the impact that the emergence of decentralized technologies such as the Blockchain technology on which virtual currencies were based would have on the operations of credit institutions, the implementation of monetary policy and the operation of central banks. The aim of this paper was to approximate the meaning of the term virtual currencies, to explore how virtual currencies function, to analyze the benefits, characteristics, and risks associated with the term virtual currencies. The possibility of implementing virtual currencies for economic development, as well as the overall impact on the economy, was also analyzed. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the use of virtual currencies is increasing in today's globalized world. Virtual currency and virtual money are gaining in importance, and with their appearance and evolution, they are beginning to influence the world market through the monetary policy of individual countries. The result of this research is that at the time of writing this paper, virtual currencies have minimal impact on the work of financial institutions

Impact of Technology on Safety as Viewed by Ship Operators

Modern technology is being increasingly used on-board ships. It is a common opinion that its application has reduced seafarers’ workload and improved safety of ships. However, human error induced by technology contributes significantly to risk in shipping. This paper analyses human and machine interaction and demonstrates which elements violate these connections. It is for this purpose that the survey has been conducted via an anonymous questionnaire among professional seafarers. The results indicate that non-standardisation of equipment, i.e. the differences in the settings and display interfaces between different manufacturers and poor design prolong time needed for familiarisation, and in combination with short period of handover can contribute to the occurrence of human error. Greater involvement of the ship operators in theprocurement process of navigation equipment is essential, since it may lead to the selection of equipment that suits the end users

Suggestions for improving the effectiveness of environmental education in the maritime sector

Research shows that many barriers to pro-environmental behaviour in the maritime industry exist despite significant efforts of various stakeholders, and there is a need to put additional efforts to improve the sustainability of shipping. Education has an important role because a lack of environmental knowledge is almost always identified as a barrier to environmental concern and behaviour. However, eliminating knowledge gaps and raising concern does not necessarily translate to behaviour change, because behaviour depends on numerous factors, which moderate and mediate one another. Effectiveness of education activities may be improved if potential barriers are identified and targeted. This paper reviews determinants of pro-environmental behaviour and provides some suggestions for educators to plan and execute educational activities to increase the willingness of seafarers and shore-based personnel to adopt environmentally-friendly practices

Detainable Maritime Labour Convention 2006-related deficiencis found by Paris MoU authorities

The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC, 2006) has entered into force in August 2013. Shipowners, flag States and port State authorities have an important role in the successful implementation of the MLC, 2006. Port State control (PSC) is responsible for ensuring that ships are in compliance with the requirements of the MLC, 2006. In cases of significant non-compliance ships are detained. This paper analyses the MLC, 2006-related deficiencies that were marked as a ground for detention of ships inspected in areas under the jurisdiction of the Paris MoU in the period 20 August 2013 until 31 December 2014. 390 recorded detainable deficiencies were related to 33 items, mostly belonging to areas “Accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering” and “Conditions of employment”. The fact that 220 ships were detained (a total of 39 based solely on the MLC, 2006-related deficiencies) in 18 port States, suggests that PSC is becoming effective in detecting unacceptable working and living conditions for seafarers on-board. Detention rates on the MLC, 2006 ground vary significantly between port States, indicating that there is a room for harmonisation of PSC procedure

Preventing marine accidents caused by technology-induced human error

The objective of embedding technology on board ships, to improve safety, is not fully accomplished. The paper studies marine accidents caused by human error resulting from improper human-technology interaction. The aim of the paper is to propose measures to prevent reoccurrence of such accidents. This study analyses the marine accident reports issued by Marine Accidents Investigation Branch covering the period from 2012 to 2014. The factors that caused these accidents are examined and categorised. Analysis shows that 31% of the marine accidents are associated with technology. Poorly designed and/or inadequately trained-for ship systems, as well as changes in job performance requirements and attitudes towards practices and procedures influenced by technology defeated a safety system, contributed to the occurrence of a human error and lead to accidents. The user-centred design and improvements in training and organisation of the ship’s crew are proposed as preventive measures. This study underpins the importance of effective teamwork in the effort to improve safety on board ships

RAZVOJ VIRTUALNIH VALUTA I UTJECAJ NA FINANCIJSKE INSTITUCIJE : Završni rad

U ovom radu se analizira i definira problematika vezana uz virtualne valute. Kroz rad je obraĎena cjelokupna tematika vritualnih valuta, odnosno pojmovno je definirano značenje virtualnih valuta. Problematika rada odnosila se na pojavu virtualnih valuta, odnosno njihov utjecaj na rad financijskih institucija. Posebna pozornost autora je bila na utjecaju koje bi pojava decentraliziranih tehnologija poput Blockchain tehnologije na kojoj su bazirane virtualne valute imala na poslovanje kreditnih institucija, provoĎenje monetarne politike i rad centralnih banka. Cilj ovoga rada bio je pribliţiti značenje pojma virtualnih valuta, istraţiti na koji način funkcoiniraju virtualne valute, analizirati prednosti, karakteristike, ali i rizike koji se veţu uz pojam virtualnih valuta. Analizirala se i mogućnost implemetnacije virtualnih valuta za ekonomski razvoj, kao i sveukupni utjecaj na ekonomiju. Nadalje, moţe se zaključiti da je upotreba virtualnih valuta sve veća u današnjem globaliziranom svijetu. Virutalna valuta i virtualni novac dobivaju sve više na vaţnosti, a takoĎer svojom pojavom i evolucijom počinju utjecati na svjetsko trţište kroz monetarnu politiku pojedinih drţava. Rezultat ovog istraţivanja je da u trenutku pisanja ovoga rada virtualne valute imaju minimalan utjecaj na rad financijskih institucija.This paper analyzes and defines issues related to virtual currencies. The paper deals with the whole topic of virtual currencies, ie the meaning of virtual currencies is defined. Issues related to the appearance of virtual currencies, that is, their impact on the work of financial institutions. The authors' particular attention was given to the impact that the emergence of decentralized technologies such as the Blockchain technology on which virtual currencies were based would have on the operations of credit institutions, the implementation of monetary policy and the operation of central banks. The aim of this paper was to approximate the meaning of the term virtual currencies, to explore how virtual currencies function, to analyze the benefits, characteristics, and risks associated with the term virtual currencies. The possibility of implementing virtual currencies for economic development, as well as the overall impact on the economy, was also analyzed. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the use of virtual currencies is increasing in today's globalized world. Virtual currency and virtual money are gaining in importance, and with their appearance and evolution, they are beginning to influence the world market through the monetary policy of individual countries. The result of this research is that at the time of writing this paper, virtual currencies have minimal impact on the work of financial institutions

The risk of malaria infection in maritime profession

Malarija je najznačajnija parazitarna bolest u ljudi. Na čovjeka se prenosi ugrizom zaražene ženke komaraca. Usprkos činjenici da je malarija bolest koja je preventivna i izlječiva i dalje predstavlja značajan javnozdravstveni problem. Najrasprostranjenija je u tropskim i suptropskim područjima Afrike i Azije. Najveći broj oboljelih od importirane malarije u Hrvatskoj čine domaći i strani pomorci, rjeđe turisti i radnici koji su boravili u malaričnim područjima. Dijagnoza se postavlja na temelju pozitivnog nalaza parazita u krv. U Hrvatskoj plovi oko 30.000 pomoraca, a od čega oko 10.000 na stranim brodovima. Prosječno ih godišnje od malarije oboli 8. S obzirom na to da dosta pomoraca plovi pod zastavama drugih država, pouzdanih podataka koliko pomoraca oboli od malarije nema, ali se pretpostavlja da je broj znatno veći. Uzroci pojave importirane malarije poglavito su u neprovođenju ili nedostatnom provođenju kemoprofilakse, odnosno lijekova protiv malarije koji se uzimaju prije odlaska, tijekom i nakon povratka s putovanja.Malaria is the most significant parasite disease in humans. It is transmitted to humans by the bite of earned female mosquitoes. Despite the fact that malaria is a preventable and curable disease, it is still a public health concern. It is most widespread in tropical and subtropical areas of Africa and Asia. The largest number of imported malaria patients in Croatia are domestic and foreign seafarers, rarely tourists and workers who resided in malarial areas. The diagnosis is made on the basis of a positive finding of the parasite in the blood. About 30,000 sailors sail in Croatia, about 10,000 of which are on foreign ships. On average, 8 males get sick every year from malaria. Given that many seafarers are sailing under the flags of other countries, there is no reliable data on the number of malaria seafarers, but the number is assumed to be much higher. The causes of imported malaria are mainly due to the non-implementation or insufficient implementation of chemoprophylaxis, ie malaria medicines taken before departure, during and after returning from a trip