2024 SAFETY4SEA Athens Forum: Building a culture of safety necessitates a culture of change

Experts from various fields and areas of the industry offered their valuable insight in an effort to advance maritime operations, despite of the uncertainties, challenges and constant technology developments that shape a peculiar playing field for operators. 

The event was organized by SAFETY4SEA having as lead sponsors the following organizations: the American Club, FLEET Management Limited, MacGregor, Mintra, and SQEMARINE. 

Other sponsors were: Arcadia Shipmanagement Co. LTD, Blue Planet Shipping Ltd, Britannia P&I Club, Capital-Executive Ship Management Corp., Capital Gas Ship Management Corp., Capital Shipmanagement, Columbia Ship Management, Döhle Seafront Crewing, Eastern Mediterranean Maritime Limited (EASTMED), Green Jakobsen, IMEQ, Latsco Marine Management Inc., Marshall Island Ship Registry – INTERNATIONAL REGISTRIES, INC., NorthStandard, OneCare Group, RISK4SEA, SEAFiT, The Swedish Club, UK P&I Club, and V. Group. 

The event was supported by: the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA), the Mission to Seafarers, and WISTA Hellas. Additionally, WordlOils acted as the event’s media sponsor. 

Apo Belokas, Managing Editor, SAFETY4SEA, opened the event by welcoming the delegates and speakers and thanking all the sponsors and supporters. He emphasized the challenges the maritime industry faces in overcoming human resistance to change, particularly in enhancing communication and performance. In view of this fact, he encouraged stakeholders to unite in addressing these challenges and to support both seafarers and shore staff with new initiatives, projects, and tools. 

The industry is working in silos, despite the progress we have made on collaboration… People are hesitant to share what is happening in their organisations.

… Apo Belokas pointed out.

Additionally, he urged stakeholders to sign the SAFETY4SEA Petition for better connectivity, highlighting the crucial importance of internet access in improving crew welfare.

Session#1 Industry’s safety challenges on the agenda

Mike Bradshaw, Director, Fleet Management Limited, emphasized the industry’s tendency to focus on benchmarks and regulatory compliance rather than fostering innovation in safety practices. Additionally, he highlighted evolving issues such as rising incidents in enclosed spaces, unsafe access for pilots, container fires due to misdeclared cargoes, and vehicle deck safety. 

Safety is not green KPIs or a three-month campaign

… said Bradshaw and urged the industry to remain vigilant and proactive. 

Anastasios Kartsimadakis, Group Vetting & Inspections Manager, Tsakos Shipping and Trading, gave a presentation that focused on the role of human factors in the revised SIRE 2.0 inspection regime. He explored how human behavior, decision-making, and performance impact safety and compliance in maritime operations. He also pointed out the challenge of the training of inspectors, saying: “we are not sure that inspectors are properly trained to assess the human factor.” Moreover, he presented best practices for the crew to be prepared for the new inspection regime.

Captain Panagiotis Nikiteas, HSQE Manager/DPA/CSO, Maran Dry Management Inc, addressed recent developments in the dry bulk shipping sector. He discussed the establishment of DBCE and DryBMS, calling for all stakeholders to participate “I strongly encourage all bulk operators…. Do your self-assessment and upload it,” he urged. He also explored the role of the rollout of RISQ 3.1.

Hopefully we are going to move from personal relationships toward a transparent inspection process

… said Nikiteas. Additionally, he emphasized the need to view crew members as vital contributors to creating resilient safety cultures.

Following the first panel discussion, Athena Kanellatou, Area Sales and Marketing Director, Equipment and Solutions Division, MacGregor, delivered a focus presentation on anchoring equipment. She elaborated on the issue of anchor loss, which, as she explained, can be attributed to a number of factors including heavy weather and lack of proper communication. She also presented best practices to ensure safe anchoring such as mathematic calculations and the continuous assessment based on location, water depth, currents, and tide. On top of that, she stressed the importance of mooring safety, saying that “95% of personal injury incidents are caused by ropes and wire,” and, thus, ensuring the equipment is proper and taking the human factor into consideration becomes crucial. 

Session #2 How Leadership and Management enhance safety culture

Jacob Damgaard, Head of Loss Prevention, Britania P&I Club, explored the essential elements of an effective safety culture and how organizations can cultivate it. He underscored that strong safety leadership and empowering seafarers are crucial for establishing and maintaining a robust safety culture and a sustainable business. 

Sustainability is not just about the environment it’s also about safety

… Damgaard pointed out. Moreover, he explained that by focusing on key elements of an effective culture, such as crew empowerment and leadership commitment, organizations can achieve stable improvements in onboard safety.

Capt. Nestoras Grigoropoulos, HSSQE Manager and DPA, Sea Traders S.A., Prominence Maritime S.A, drew the attention towards the pivotal role of leadership and management in creating a safe onboard environment. According to Grigoropoulos, “If you work environment is safe, your company is more attractive than others.” Furthermore, he discussed the foundational elements of safety culture, and its effects on operational efficiency and crew welfare. The presentation also covered technological innovations such as the use of AI regarding maritime safety and maintenance, and the imperative role of feedback in promoting safe operations onboard. 

Capt. Kostas Karavasilis, Regional Director, Loss Prevention, UK P&I Club, supported that communication and training are two of the most important aspects to foster an effective safety culture. As explained by Karavasilis, “training has become a checklist nowadays,” which poses a set of challenges.

The more you spend on safety training, the less you’re paying for incidents

… he explained, urging stakeholders to enhance the training standards of crew members, including soft skills training. Finally, Kostas Karavasilis underlined the importance of providing benefits to the crew members, such as health care, to motivate them. 

During the panel discussion, Nikos Melachropoulos, Technical Consultant, American Club, made a really interesting point saying that as long as a seafarer is empowered rather than ordered around, they are more likely to be safe. He also advocated for a strong safety culture, put pointed out that maybe implementing more company policies can result in bigger Safety Management Manuals (SMS), and more paperwork, thus, caution and robust planning is needed. 

Session #3 Human factors and human performance 

Alexandra S. Kaloulis, Managing Director, IMEQ Center, explained how psychosocial factors such as stress, fatigue, and interpersonal conflicts can lead to human error and safety incidents. The presentation highlighted strategies to effectively manage these risks. According to Kaloulis, dynamic risk assessment is a very useful tool for operators to understand where they stand with their crew. Risk assessment can promote timely intervention, reduce human error and, as a result, reduce claims, the Managing Director explained. 

Atty. Iris Baguilat, President, Döhle Seafront Crewing (Manila), Inc., delivered a presentation focused on the importance of loss prevention and compensable claims in the maritime industry, particularly in relation to the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers. Her discussion also focused on medical care for seafarers. As she said “We talk about medical care for seafarers, but when the crew is ill, are you there?”, pointing out that stakeholders should be by their crew’s side and support them. Finally, she brought about the need to combat ambulance chasers, individuals or groups exploiting seafarers’ legal claims for profit.

Dr. Maria Progoulaki, Regional Representative and Senior Consultant, Green-Jakobsen A/S, delivered a presentation on the critical importance of understanding the factors that influence human performance in the maritime industry. She explained that the industry tends to think that human performance is a ceteris paribus, meaning “unchanged”.

Performance analysis should not be a ceteris paribus condition

… Dr. Progoulaki argued. Human performance is context-based, she emphasized, and collecting relevant data is essential for identifying the needs and challenges that onboard personnel has to meet daily. 

During the third panel discussion, Nikos Toumazatos, Crew Manager, Latsco Marine Management Inc, explained that seafarers’ mental health is at the top of the challenges that the industry faces, as it is often what puts seafarers at risk. He noted that onboard conditions may have improved, but seafarers’ health and wellbeing is far from being a given. Nikos Tomazatos added that fatigue is another serious matter, and he suggested that the companies should promote workload distribution and provide their crew with appropriate tools. 

Session #4 Essential skills training for crew development 

Dr. Joanna Eugenia Bakouni, Learning & Development Manager, Maritime Simulation, Maersk Training, pointed the audience’s attention towards the need to address the skills gap to ensure a sustainable maritime future. Bakouni highlighted deficiencies in current training programs, particularly in areas related to green fuels and decarbonization.

Too often training is seen as a one-time event, a checklist

… said Bakouni, advocating for shared strategies for effectively integrating skills into maritime education, and for continuously preparing the workforce for a greener future. 

Valentinos Steliou, Innovation Director/ MD Cyprus, Mintra, highlighted the growing knowledge gap of seafarers, caused by rapid technological innovation and evolving industry demands, that needs to be addressed. According to Steliou, by investing in cutting-edge technology for training, seafarers can gain knowledge and experience various scenarios through simulation-based and immersive training. He also stressed that training should be adaptive and role-based, if the industry strives to have an effective workforce. 

Marinos Kokkinis, Managing Director, OneCare Solutions, expressed a very interesting point during the panel discussion, saying that training needs to be human centric, and the industry needs to understand the needs of the crew such as their age and cultural background. He also stressed the importance of proper training to prepare the crew to handle alternative fuels, but also how to handle a crisis or how to interact with their colleagues onboard.

If we connect the dots, everything leads to safety

… Marinos Kokkinis noted, as a properly trained crew on various aspects can stray off a broad spectrum of risks.

Session #5: Best practices for enhanced PSC performance

Capt. Theodore Lalas, Fleet Operations Manager, The Marshall Islands Registry, presented best practices to ensure Port State Control (PSC) compliance. He emphasized how maintaining high standards of quality and adherence to regulations brings significant value to safe maritime operations “A minor deficiency might lead to injury”, he explained. Moreover, Lalas highlighted the importance of evaluating performance and ensuring regulatory compliance across the global maritime industry.

Dimitris Psarros, Business Development Manager, RISK4SEA, focused on the implementation of automated systems to enhance port state control (PSC) compliance. He explained that an Automated Port Call Risk Assessment (POCRA) predicts when a ship will be inspected, streamlining the preparation process. Furthermore, port-specific PSC focus checklists, tailored and prioritized for each vessel, ensure that key compliance areas are addressed. 

Vessels cannot be prepared with generic checklists

… Dimitris Psarros highlighted, emphasizing that the seamless, human-free nature of this automation allows for more efficiency and accuracy. 

During panel discussions, Gregory Spourdalakis, Managing Director Greece, Columbia Shipmanagement, explored the current landscape surrounding PSC inspections. He highlighted the notable advancements made in recent years, emphasizing how these improvements have created substantial benefits for both shipowners and ship managers. According to Spourdalakis, these positive changes have contributed to a more streamlined and efficient inspection process. 

Session #6 Best practices for enhanced maritime safety

John Southam, Loss Prevention Senior Executive – Greece, NorthStandard, presented on the common weaknesses found in Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) and their implications for maritime safety. He also referred to key elements of the upcoming S-100 Standard framework document, which he expects to be a big deal for the industry. In view of S100, John Southam advocated for the industry to bring ECDIS more into navigation training and to familiarize operators with it as much as possible.

Ioanna Kafka, Senior Claims Executive, Hull & Machinery Team Greece, The Swedish Club, addressed the growing trend of fire incidents on ships, which have become increasingly frequent and costly in recent years. According to Ioanna Kafka, fires may not statistically occur as often as other marine incidents such as groundings, but they bear significant costs regarding claims. Thus, she highlighted the need for improved loss prevention guidelines, particularly focusing on measures to reduce the likelihood of fires caused by different factors and cargoes onboard ships.

The time and effectiveness of the response is very important

… Kafka explained. 

During the last panel discussion, Ria Thanou, DPA, Latsco Marine Management Inc, expressed the opinion that safety culture has made strides, but there is definitely room for improvement as safety practices are neither homogenous nor universal. 

Safety starts from commitment

… Ria Thanou said, adding that if companies lead by example, their staff as well as other companies are bound to follow. Finally, she issued a call for transparency across the industry, saying operators can learn from one another and implement relevant proactive measures. 

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