Tag: Gard Club

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.

Teamwork and collaboration play a major role in the shipping industry, as Gard reports that the isolated decision-making style leads to a gap between the one taking the decision and the rest of the team that has to follow.

2020 will see several regulatory changes, with the main on being the IMO 2020 sulphur cap. However, in addition to the sulphur cap regulation, numerous other regulations will also be implemented worldwide by the IMO and ILO over the course of the year.

Working aloft is risky and a supervisor should be appointed to act as a lookout for the crew member who perform such tasks, the Gard P&I Club warned. The Club's claims database for the last 10 years shows that 5% of all falls from heights have resulted in fatalities and is one of the top 5 leading causes for fatalities onboard. 

The Gard P&I Club reported that over a ten year period between 2009-2018, a 25%of all the crew accidents were finger and hand injuries related. Based on the Club's portofolio, the data presented that ratings are nearly twice as likely to suffer from such injuries in comparison to the officers.

In protection of the marine environment, many ports have already banned or limited the use of open loop scrubbers in their territorial waters; Thus, new countries emerged implementing new restrictions for vessels calling their ports.

The Gard P&I Club informed it has handled numerous cargo claims over the last years, where condensation was found to be the contributory cause of cargo damage. When dealing with such claims, the Club advises, the voyage records of the hold ventilations play a central role in mitigating the claim.

The Gard recently informed that even if it may be impossible for crew to estimate the particle size of the cargo carried, the crew can watch out for signs of high moisture content with the aim to ensure safety.