In our paper The Risk Homeostasis Theory 1 , it was accepted that the behaviour of people involved in the operation of cargo carrying ships is conditioned to maximize the economic benefits of the amount of risk assumed in the transport. As a follow-up to that paper, the objective of this one is to investigate the relationship between the level of compliance of the cargo carrying vessels with international standards and the degree of severity of the incidents they are involved in. For this purpose, we analyse the same sample of 2,584 cargo carrying ships involved in incidents during 2005 and 2006 used in that investigation. The variables of the Paris MoU to identify substandard ships are used again to measure the standard level of ships and the degree of seriousness of incidents is determined by the number of days ships are under repair.2. Safety standards. 3. Shipping casualties. I N T R O D U C T I O N.The globalization of the shipping industry makes it difficult to establish safety incentive programmes which would lead to the reduction of the frequency of shipping accidents 2 . Strict inspections, detentions in port, bans and prohibitions to operate, etc. are common attempts, mainly adopted in the USA, Paris and Tokyo MoU regions, to promote the operation of safer ships 3 . As a result, the number of substandard vessels operating in those regions has decreased during the last two decades. Nevertheless, since these policies do not effectively reward ships or shipping companies with a lower ratio of accidents but simply encourage them to comply with international standards, the rate of maritime mishaps goes beyond control. As can be observed in Figure 1, the total number of shipping casualties varies, keeping pace with the global trade and the freight markets 4 . The accident rate per cargo carrying ship-year is thought to be a consequence of a homeostatic control process in which the degree of caution of those engaged in maritime transport determines the rate of accidents, and, as a consequence, this resulting rate determines the level of caution in the shipping operators' behaviour 5 . In this closed-loop process all types of accidents, near accidents and marine incidents contribute to alter the perception of risk which those involved in maritime transport

This paper studies the effectiveness of a ship's tunnel bow thruster with slow speed ahead. After describing the general reasons for the decrease of performance with slow speed ahead, the Anti Suction Tunnel (AST) is analyzed as an advisable state-of-the art design option that aims to improve performance.2. Anti suction tunnel.

Statistics and information from the maritime industry show that the continuous advances in the safety of navigation do not reduce the occurrence of shipping casualties. This controversial fact leads the authors to analyse the applicability of the risk homeostasis theory to maritime transportation. With the aim of investigating this matter 2,584 ship incidents, which took place during the years 2005 and 2006, have been recorded and examined. The same variables which the Paris MOU usually employs to identify substandard ships (flag, classification society, age, type and size) have been used in this research to establish their level of safety in an effort to determine the relationship between that level and the occurrence of maritime incidents in the world cargo carrying fleet with appropriate statistical methods.

In this paper, the author analyses piracy at sea in Somalia, to provide a general up-to-date vision of the problem which threatens the security of ships sailing in the Gulf of Aden. The pirates' modus operandi, the existing factors behind these punishable acts and the prevailing international response are analysed. Finally the paper reviews how the international community could act in order to tackle the problem with a view to its possible eradication. K E Y W O R D S1. Piracy at sea in Somalia.2. Pirates' modus operandi.3. Security of merchant ships.

On February, 15th 2005, Gondán S.A. shipyard in the north-west of Spain handed over the escort tractor Voith tug “VELOX” to the Norwegian shipowner Østensjø Rederi AS, the first of this type in the world to incorporate a bulbous bow. After generally making a reference to the benefits obtained by the incorporation of a bulbous bow regarding the reduction of the ship's resistance, we specifically analyse the consequences derived from the incorporation of this appendage in an escort tractor Voith tug concerning its real operating conditions when carrying out escort tasks, especially when using the indirect towing method.