After 15 years, the BWM Convention is coming into full effect from this September. At the same time, across the Atlantic, important developments have also been taking place in relation to the USCG’s BWM regulation. The UK Club issued a Legal Briefing, summarizing some of the more significant developments associated to the two regulations.
In its latest ‘Lessons learned’ article, the UK P&I Club analyzes an enclosed space fatality onboard a bulk carrier. The investigation found that the void space, where the fatality occurred, had not been opened for about 6 months and was not fitted with any natural ventilation.
UK P&I Club published lessons learned from a crew mooring injury, which happened as a bulk carrier was discharging cargo alongside a mineral terminal. Namely, one of the ropes snapped, violently striking the second officer, which sustained broken ribs and serious internal injuries.
For autonomous shipping to gain regulatory and societal acceptance, this technology must be at least as safe as traditional ships, said the UK P&I Club in a new paper. A successful approach to change would be to develop regulations in tandem with technological advancements, always maintaining the focus on safety.
The UK P&I Clubs looks at some issues which the current unimodal Conventions give rise to. In this discussion, the Club is focusing only on the maritime Conventions, by discussing conflict of laws enabled by Article 2 CMR, and lack of certainty.
As part of its Crew Health Advice series, the UK Club issued guidance for sepsis, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition which is caused by the body’s overreaction to an infection, and affects the organs and tissues, leading even to death.
The UK P&I Club explores the new rules on disclosure recently introduced in the English Commercial Court, analyzing the rules’ impact on cargo claims, especially ahead of the recent Supreme Court decision in Volcafe Ltd & Others v. Compania Sud Americana De Vapores SA [2018] UKSC 61.
As mental health issues have risen as a big topic for every industry and the maritime included, Captains and Chief Officers have an important role to play in leading by example, to encourage and actively protect good mental health onboard, the UK P&I Club advised.
The UK Club advises on the implications of proposed carriage of cargo on deck. Namely, carriage of cargo on deck exposes the cargo to various risks from the elements, like sea-spray and wind, as well as the potential risk of being washed off or falling overboard because of bad weather conditions or inadequate lashing/stabilising. Based on the cargo, there may also be issues with the stability of the vessel itself.
The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) recognised the negative effect that bullying and harassment can have on seafarer health and wellbeing, and have voted to bring these serious issues under Regulation 4.3, which is the health and safety protection and accident protection code. Under the Mental Health Awareness week, the UK P&I Club highlights ways to eliminate shipboard bullying and harassment.
