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.
The UK P&I Club published a statement focusing on the importance of passage planning, in light of the ‘CMA CGM Libra’, transferring cargo with a value in excess of US$500 million as well as about 8,000 tons of bunkers, grounded on a shoal whilst sailing out Xiamen port, China through a recognised dredged channel marked by lit buoys.
The UK Club reported a case of a crew member who was recently repatriated after a period of insomnia and heart palpitations. The crew member was examined by physicians and diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder. Adjustment Disorder is a psychological condition that happens when a person cannot deal with a stressor or a recurrent event causing stress.
The UK P&I Club presents a case where a defective lube oil cooler caused pollution. Namely as the ship was alongside, oil sheens were observed floating on the dock water around the stern, which were believed to be from lubricating oil leaking from the stern tube seal. The deficient condition of the lube oil cooler caused not only a pollution incident, but also significant costs regarding clean up, inspections, repairs and off-hire.
In the latest publication of its ‘Lessons Learned’ series, the UK P&I Club described a serious eye injury of a crew member while securing a tow. The Club noted that three crew members were probably not enough to safely manage an operation of this nature.
