Tag: Gard Club

The Gard P&I Club has issued a case study as part of its loss prevention initiatives to provide lessons learned for onboard safety meetings. This time, the case illustrates what went wrong during an incident that took place in the Suez Canal with the aim to raise the discussion and perform an onboard risk assessment of the incident and the factors which led to it, based on vessel’s procedures. 

Last month, Gard was notified by several of our correspondents that they had received an unusual e-mail from our CEO asking for details about outstanding payments. Security Advisor, Eili Bjelkåsen, in Gard's Technology and Security department tells the story. Knowing how fraudsters operate is key to understanding how to protect yourself and your company.

Incident investigation often leads to blaming the individuals involved in an incident, with Gard commenting that investigations should also focus on the interacting causes which make up the conditions surrounding the incident.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the maritime industry in previously unthinkable ways. Ports around the world are denying entry to certain vessels, travel restrictions have postponed crew changes, ships are taken out of service and crew have been laid off. These operational problems are forcing some owners and operators to consider placing vessels in lay-up, notes Mr. Jarle Fosen, Senior Loss Prevention Executive, Arendal.

Gard warns about the dangers of walking up or down stairs at ships. As it says, seafarers should always apply the old adage of ‘one hand for yourself and one for the ship’ and keep one hand free to grasp the handrail.

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 as a global pandemic; Thus, early detection, prevention and control of any possible case onboard the vessel has to become the number one priority to protect the health of the crewmembers and prevent the transmission of the virus.

Automation, digitalization and the use of ships’ data is today having a big impact on the maritime industry. While there is no doubt that cyber is a major growing risk in this area, Gard's Jarle Fosen states that there is, however, still a more common, less hyped and maybe growing type of shipboard technology related risk that should not be forgotten - the reliability, breakdown and no fault found failure of electronics.

The Safety Management System (SMS) of a company plays a crucial role for the safety of the seafarers and the avoidance of any potential accidents; Yet, non-commitment from top management positions lead to seafarers doubting the SMS, often resulting to accidents.

When decisions are made in isolation during critical operations, such as navigation, the consequences of improper execution can be negative, Gard Club warns. Namely, in an isolated decision-making style decisions are made without consulting the people who will be impacted by the decision.

During the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE) Gard discussed about containership fires from the insurer's perspective and the challenge they appear to be for the maritime industry, recommending solutions and technologies that can improve the existent situation.