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This research is to develop a carbon composite prepared from carbon coir fibers that is reinforced with epoxy resin. Carbon coir fibers were taken from three types of coir fiber specifically designated as CKCF, CYCF and CRCF. The samples were prepared using epoxy resin reinforced with carbon at different weight percentages for three types of coir fiber starting with 0wt.%, 2wt.%, 4wt.%, 6wt.%, 8wt.% and 10wt.%. The mechanical properties such as tensile stress and impact strength were used to characterize all the samples. The morphological study of reinforced samples was also conducted in this research using a SEM machine. The characteristics of all the composite materials were also investigated and discussed. It was determined that the CKCF sample exhibited better mechanical properties than the other coir fiber composites, having a higher average tensile stress value at 11.80MPa and higher impact strength values ranging from 268J to 276J at different carbon content. CKCF with 10wt% AC content had a tremendous impact strength compared with CYCF and CRCF.

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Small high speed passenger crafts (HSC) are commonly known for their poor seakeeping qualities. These crafts are frequently exposed to large slamming impacts and these repetitive shocks may pose danger to passengers’ safety and health. In Malaysia, small high speed passenger crafts having lengths between 7 to 9 meters are mainly used to transport tourists between popular island destinations. Evaluation on impact and vibration for this type of craft was conducted by using accelerometers attached to several locations on craft’s deck. The test was conducted at speeds ranged between 20 to 30 knots and the highest peak accelerations were recorded. The highest acceleration record during the sea trial was recorded at 4.22 g and the average acceleration measure is 2.20 g. Apart from this test, evaluation on effectiveness of the current foam seat typically used in this craft were evaluated using Dynamic Response Index (DRI) and results have shown that the seat is less efficient when impact reaches more than 1g at speeds of more than 20 knots. It is concluded that safety measures such as the use of more efficient suspension seat and limiting the operational speed need to be taken into consideration.

This study analyses the contributing factors to problems with regard to speaking in English among maritime students at two tertiary institutions in Malaysia. This study looks at five paradigms: learners’ personality, amount and quality of exposure to English, learners’ attitude, learners’ motivation, and pedagogical management of the English Language courses at the campus. The study also compares the causes of the speaking problems in English between male and female students. Survey questionnaires are distributed to 150 final-year maritime students. Data were analysed descriptively via SPSS. It is found that the main causes of the students’ speaking problems stem from the teachers’ pedagogical management of the English subjects, exposure to English, and personality which contribute moderately to the learners’ predicaments. However, motivation and attitude are identified to have contributed the least to the students’ oral skills inadequacies. Several ensuing implications for initiatives to help enhance students’ speaking proficiency in the English Language are also discussed.