Marsh Insurance broking and risk management company warns that new mega-ships are causing concern for national governments & increasing risks for marine operators and calls for a higher priority to be given to hydrographic survey work to protect mega-ships at sea.
Marsh’s new report ”Plumbing the Depths: Hydrographic Concerns for Modern-Day Large Vessels”, takes a look at the lack of adequately hydrographically surveyed waters internationally and the implications this could have for these new mega-ships.
Global developments alter the future of shipping
With the Suez Canal Axis now open and the expanded Panama Canal system soon to be complete, more and more mega-ships will soon be navigating parts of the world that have never seen so many large vessels before.
Also, the undoubted impact of global warming is making the possibilities for summertime Arctic transits between Asia and Europe an increasingly attractive proposition.
The size of commercial cargo vessels (especially containerships) have grown in the past 25 years, from a maximum capacity of about 5,000 TEU (20-foot equivalent units) in 1990, to the newest currently on order, which have more than 20,000 TEU capacity.
The report notes that old routes require new surveys. Navigation routes, such as those leading to or from the Panama Canal, have been the same for many years, with commercial cargo vessels following tried-and tested pathways through the sea. However, the known safe depth for the navigation of many is only as good as the draught of the largest, deepest vessel ever to have used it.
“The US prioritized survey program has already resulted in 75% of navigationally significant waters, that are determined to be critical to surface navigation, being surveyed to modern standards, but it is a complex calculation.” states Tim Lowe, Rear Admiral, the UK’s National Hydrographer.
Even in waters where charts and ECDIS are considered more reliable, concerns still remain. “New and navigationally significant features continue to be discovered. In 2015, France reported a previously uncharted submarine wreck, at the South West entrance to the Gironde estuary (access to Bordeaux), 7 meters above the seabed, and significantly shoaler soundings (7.4 meters rather than 17 meters) in a sea lane from Anse de Miquelon to Saint-Pierre (Saint Pierre et Miquelon). These discoveries are not untypical,” says Robert Ward of the IHO.
With assistance from international bodies, such as the International Hydrographic Organization, and major towage companies, Marsh looks at the current international obligations in place for mapping the seabed to modern standards and what inter-governmental agreement needs to be reached to take responsibility for mapping international waters. Marsh makes an appeal to governments to act before a major incident happens out at sea due to inaccurate charts.
Further details may be found by reading the report here below
Source: Marsh
