The loss of the Prestige remains one of the most contentious maritime disasters in history due to the fundamental conflict between the Bahamas Maritime Authority’s technical focus on structural failure and the Spanish authorities' emphasis on criminal negligence. While the BMA and international salvors argue that the ship was a victim of a "death march"—where the refusal of a Place of Refuge and the decision to tow the vessel into a North Atlantic storm caused its final breakup—the Spanish Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the Master and owners acted with "environmental recklessness." This judicial pivot, finalized in 2016, sought to bypass international liability caps to access a $1 billion insurance policy, a move that has resulted in a twenty-year legal stalemate between Spanish mandates and English contract law.

In this follow up to the last Podcast 'The Oil Compensation Minefield' Barry describes what happened that fateful night 24 years ago and describes the fallout from one of Europes worst maritime pollution disasters to date.

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While the CLC 1992 and the 2001 Bunker Convention are both strict liability regimes requiring compulsory insurance and allowing direct action against insurers, they are mutually exclusive in scope: the CLC 1992 focuses specifically on pollution from tankers carrying persistent oil as cargo, whereas the Bunker Convention fills the "gap" by covering fuel oil spills from non-tanker vessels (such as bulkers and container ships). A critical distinction lies in their structure, as the CLC provides a specialised multi-tier compensation system linked to the IOPC Fund with its own internal liability limits, while the Bunker Convention lacks an international fund and relies on separate regimes like the LLMC for limitation of liability, making liability under the bunker convention much smaller.

Barry discusses both funds and explains why owners may try and apply the bunker convention over the 1992 CLC to limit their liability. The case of the tanker 'Prestige' is used to demonstrate how this is sometimes forced.

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While both Marine Gas Oil (MGO) and Ultra Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (ULSFO) both meet the 0.1% sulphur limit for Emission Control Areas (ECAs), they are fundamentally different: Marine Gas Oil (MGO) is a pure, "clear and bright" distillate that behaves like high-grade diesel and is generally the most reliable and expensive option, requiring no heating but posing risks of low-viscosity leakage or "dry" injector wear. In contrast, Ultra Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (ULSFO) is typically a "hybrid" blend containing residual oil components, making it cheaper and more lubricious but technically complex, as it requires onboard heating to reach injection viscosity and carries a high risk of chemical instability or "sludging" if mixed with other fuels.

Barry discusses a recent act of pilotage that he did where the choice between the two types of fuel may have made the main engine fluctuate and the Master forced to declare that he may have a problem. His hands-on current practice as a pilot allows him to give a unique perspective into the fuelling decisions being made in Northern Europe.

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On December 6th 2025, the Baltic Klipper lost 16 containers overboard in the Solent near Nab Tower after experiencing severe rolling in heavy weather. HM Coastguard was alerted and issued navigational warnings as the drifting containers posed a significant hazard to one of the UK’s busiest waterways. Aerial searches located several containers, and over the following days eleven washed ashore along the West Sussex coastline, including Selsey and Pagham. Although most boxes contained fruit and were not hazardous, authorities warned the public to avoid the wreck material. The incident caused operational disruption to local shipping, including delays to passenger vessels, while recovery and investigation efforts continued.

Barry discusses the incident, some of the problems caused and how liability can be apportioned under internationally agreed carriage of cargo rules.

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A narrow channel has no formal dimensional definition in COLREGs or IMO conventions; instead, courts, pilots, VTS authorities and the MCA determine it by practical navigational constraint. A waterway is considered a narrow channel when vessels must follow the dredged or charted track for safe navigation, with limited room for meeting, overtaking or deviation. Case Law reaffirms that narrowness is a question of fact, based on depth, width, hydrodynamics and vessel operational constraints. Rule 9 therefore applies whenever the waterway’s characteristics confine navigation.

Barry discusses the facts surrounding these common navigational features and why we need to be cautious when using them.

The link to our new quiz app mentioned in the podcast is below.

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Tugs play a critical role in maintaining control of large vessels during bad weather, when wind, swell, and tidal forces quickly overwhelm a ship’s own manoeuvring ability. High-sided vessels such as container ships, RoRos and cruise ships present huge windage areas, causing the bow or stern to fall off rapidly in crosswinds. At low speeds, rudders and bow thrusters lose effectiveness, leaving pilots with limited means to counter drift, yaw or surge. In these conditions, tugs provide the controlled, directional force required to keep the vessel on track, stabilise heading, prevent unwanted movement and maintain safe clearance from berths, dolphins and other structures.

Beyond simple pushing or pulling, modern ASD, tractor and rotor tugs are essential safety assets in exposed approaches, river entrances and terminals where strong weather threatens to overpower the ship. They deliver high bollard pull, indirect escort forces and rapid corrective thrust that prevent groundings, allisions and loss of control. In heavy weather, tugs are not just helpful but indispensable—acting as the primary control mechanism that ensures ships can berth, unberth, turn and transit safely despite adverse conditions. Barry discusses all these aspects.

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Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s lifelong relationship with the sea began early. Educated at Berkhamsted School, he joined the Merchant Navy at the age of 17, serving as a deck officer with the British India Steam Navigation Company. His early years at sea gave him both the technical skills and seamanship that would later define his legendary status. 

In 1968, Knox-Johnston entered the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race — the first ever non-stop, single-handed, round-the-world yacht race. Sailing his 32-foot ketch Suhaili, built by hand in India, he faced enormous isolation, equipment failures, and brutal weather. After 312 days alone at sea, he returned to Falmouth on 22 April 1969, becoming the first person in history to sail single-handed and non-stop around the world. Of the nine competitors who set out, only Knox-Johnston finished. He donated his £5,000 prize money to the family of fellow competitor Donald Crowhurst, who had perished during the race.

This episode marks my 40th anniversary of being at sea, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate it then to talk with the man whose feat inspired me to not only take up sailing but eventually to go to sea myself. Enjoy the interview.

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The extraordinary session of the IMO's Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) session was convened on the 14th October to formally adopt the NZF as amendments to MARPOL Annex VI, which would introduce for large oceangoing ships a global fuel-intensity standard and a GHG emissions-pricing mechanism. However, member States were unable to reach consensus and therefore did not formally adopt the framework at this meeting. Instead they voted (57 in favour, 49 against/abstain) to adjourn the decision for one year and reconvene in October 2026. 

This was a disappointing outcome for the IMO. 

Three days later I interviewed John Taukave who was present on this committee. This podcast showcases that interview. I'll let the podcast do the talking - it was recorded in a lobby in a hotel next to the IMO headquarters in London (the IMO was a busy place that week!) and as such there is the occasional interruption as people passed through which I apologise for. Enjoy hearing from this passionate ambassador of climate change reduction.

Who is John 

John is a Pacific Islander and a diplomat with deep insight into the work of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and in particular into the historic IMO decision to price emissions from global shipping. John offers a unique insider perspective rarely heard in mainstream maritime and climate discussions.

Most conversations about the IMO focus on technical regulation, shipping law, or emissions targets. John brings something different: the lived experience of how these global decisions play out in small island nations - places where maritime policy directly affects culture, livelihoods and survival.

Some angles he could bring to an episode include:

• Climate justice: what IMO climate policies mean for communities already living with rising seas and environmental change.
• Representation: why voices from small island states matter in global shipping and trade discussions — and what’s lost when they are excluded.
• Cultural heritage: how traditional seafaring knowledge and island identity intersect with global maritime regulation.

John’s strength is his ability to bridge technical policy with compelling human stories. He can articulate the cultural dimension of IMO debates in a way that connects with both expert and general audiences.

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Northern Arctic shipping route — often called the Northern Sea Route (NSR) or Northeast Passage — which connects the Far East (Asia) to Europe via the Arctic Ocean north of Russia is one of the most strategically significant emerging maritime corridors of the 21st century. The Northern Arctic Route represents one of the most significant shifts in global shipping geography since the opening of the Suez Canal. It offers substantial time and fuel savings on the Asia-Europe corridor and direct access to Arctic resource exports, but remains limited by ice, cost, infrastructure, and politics. Over the next few decades, its role will likely grow — not as a wholesale replacement, but as a strategic alternative and a new axis of maritime trade in a warming world.

Barry describes the route, challenges facing it and a recent strategically important containership passage marking the start of a potential new express service.

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The IMO Net-Zero Framework is a landmark step toward regulating and pricing maritime GHG emissions globally. It marries technical fuel intensity standards with financial penalties and incentives, with the aim of shifting the industry toward cleaner energy. But its eventual effectiveness hinges on how ambitious the final numerical targets are, how robust the verification and certification systems become, and how much financial support is made available to help the transition—especially for developing nations and less affluent operators.

Barry outlines the vision, framework, positives and negatives of this ambitious IMO incentive to reduce GHG's. Who will enforce it and where does the remedial fund end up. In this straight forward speaking podcast Barry delivers the details on what could be the most important enviromental step the IMO has taken so far.

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At Captain Barry Sadler Maritime Training & Consultancy we deliver industry-leading online courses, oral exam preparation, and professional resources for deck officers, cadets, and maritime professionals. Fully aligned with UK MCA standards, our training helps you build knowledge, confidence, and a successful career at sea.

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