Captain Andrew Moll OBE shares some safety critical advice with boat users to mark the start of carbon monoxide awareness week 2022, reminding them of the hazards posed by this poisonous gas.

Many of us take steps in our homes to stay safe from carbon monoxide by installing CO alarms and having an annual boiler service, but are the same precautions being taken when out on the water?

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has investigated six incidents in the past 12 years with the needless loss of 10 lives due to carbon monoxide poisoning. All of these happened on board recreational motor cruisers or small fishing vessels.

Today, to mark the start of Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week (21 to 27 November), the MAIB is reminding boat users of the three simple steps that they can take to stay safe from this silent killer.

Servicing – install and maintain on board equipment properly

Engines and equipment used on board, such as cookers, grills and cabin heaters, can give off carbon monoxide if not properly maintained. Regular servicing should be undertaken by someone competent to carry out the task, for example a marine engineer or a qualified heating installer. All installations and modifications to equipment should be fit for purpose and carried out in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines.

The MAIB investigation into the tragic incident on board Arniston highlights the importance of ensuring equipment or modifications to boats are conducted in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines.

Similarly, the investigation into carbon monoxide poisoning on the motor cruiser Vasquez found that the engine had not been regularly serviced and that the exhaust system had been modified during the boat’s life.

Ventilation – ensure there is adequate ventilation in the cabin

With winter upon us and fuel prices still high, boat users may be tempted to keep doors and windows closed to stay warm and reduce drafts. However, carbon monoxide can build up when engines idle in enclosed areas, such as against quay walls, next to other boats or inside locks. Adequate ventilation is an important way of protecting against the potential accumulation of poisonous fumes in cabins.

CO alarms – fit a marine approved carbon monoxide alarm and test it frequently

Carbon monoxide alarms are readily available, inexpensive and easy to install. This potentially lifesaving equipment will alert the boat user to the presence of this odourless, colourless poisonous gas so that action can be taken.

Our investigations into the fatal accidents on board Love for Lydia and Diversion both emphasise the importance of fitting a carbon monoxide alarm.

The Boat Safety Scheme has more information about the best place to install a detector and what to do if the alarm sounds.

Closing thoughts

At this time of year, as weather begins to get cooler, there is a temptation for those on the water to keep doors, hatches and windows closed to reduce drafts, use cookers and grills more to prepare hot food, and turn on cabin heaters. Understanding the potential risks of carbon monoxide and taking these three important steps – servicing equipment, fitting a CO alarm and ventilating the cabin – will help protect against this odourless, colourless poisonous gas.

On the launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK):

We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, condemn in the strongest terms the brazen launch of another Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) conducted on 18 November 2022 by the DPRK. This missile launch is another blatant violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) by the DPRK. This reckless act, together with the evidence of ongoing nuclear activities, underscores the DPRK’s determination to advance and diversify its nuclear weapons and missile capabilities. It further destabilizes the region, despite calls from the international community for peace and stability.

The unprecedented series of unlawful ballistic missile launches conducted by the DPRK in 2022, including numerous intercontinental ballistic missiles, and the intermediate-range ballistic missile which recklessly overflew Japan, pose a serious threat to regional and international peace and security and undermine the global non-proliferation regime. They also pose a danger and unpredictable risk to international civil aviation and maritime navigation in the region.

We reiterate our demand that the DPRK abandon its nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner and cease immediately all related activities. The DPRK cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear-weapon State in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) or any other special status in this regard. We urge the DPRK to return at an early date to, and fully comply with the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and to fully abide by all legal obligations under relevant UNSCRs.

The DPRK’s actions demand a united and robust response by the international community, including the need for further significant measures to be taken by the UN Security Council (UNSC). We call on all states to fully and effectively implement all UNSC measures and sanctions against the DPRK and address the risk of weapons of mass destruction proliferation from the DPRK as an urgent priority.

The G7 expresses its full solidarity with Japan and the Republic of Korea and urges the DPRK to cease its destabilizing actions. We urge the DPRK to resume meaningful dialogue toward denuclearization and accept the repeated offers of dialogue put forward by the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea. By diverting its resources from providing for the needs of its people into its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs the DPRK further aggravates the already dire humanitarian situation in the DPRK. We are committed to working with all relevant partners toward the goal of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and to upholding the rules-based international order.

On World Children’s Day 2022, we, the Embassies and Delegations associated with this statement, express deep concern at the appalling and long-lasting impact of Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine’s children.

It is not possible to confirm the precise number of children that have been direct casualties, but OHCHR has verified that Russia’s invasion has killed more than 400 children, and injured 750 as of mid-November. The true toll is likely to be significantly higher, not to mention the devastating and long-term impact on the mental health of the younger generation.

In addition, hundreds of thousands of children have been forced from Ukraine either by fleeing to countries of safety, or through reported forced deportation and abduction by Russian armed forces, sometimes without their parents’ knowledge. We are also deeply concerned by reports that some children deported to Russia have been forcibly adopted.

There is no doubt that every child in Ukraine is suffering because of Russia’s invasion. Indiscriminate Russian attacks have destroyed countless schools and disrupted education through attacks on Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure. Frequent power cuts prevent online learning. In Russian-controlled areas, the Russia-imposed school curriculum propagates disinformation and teachers are punished for teaching in Ukrainian. Children suffer disproportionately from lack of power, heating, and water caused by Russian missile attacks.

The international community stands with Ukraine in protecting its future generations. Russia’s egregious human rights abuses and violations must have consequences and perpetrators of war crimes must face justice.

Signatories of this statement:

• British Embassy Kyiv
• American Embassy Kyiv
• Australian Embassy Kyiv
• Austrian Embassy Kyiv
• Canadian Embassy Kyiv
• Czech Embassy Kyiv
• Dutch Embassy Kyiv
• Estonian Embassy Kyiv
• EU Delegation Kyiv
• French Embassy Kyiv
• German Embassy Kyiv
• Italian Embassy Kyiv
• Japanese Embassy Kyiv
• Latvian Embassy Kyiv
• Norwegian Embassy Kyiv
• Polish Embassy Kyiv
• Swedish Embassy Kyiv
• Swiss Embassy Kyiv