Loss Prevention Campaign aligned to IMO’s World Maritime Theme 2024
Safety has been at the heart of all IMO's activities since their conception, and this year we are proud to align ourselves with IMO’s 2024 campaign of enhancing maritime safety and security for both people and the planet. This is set against a backdrop of an environment that is continuously evolving especially when it comes to technological change and innovation. From crew health and wellbeing to adverse weather conditions and towage operations to piracy at sea, we aim to cover a wide array of areas within this topic, all with a focus of safety at the core.
January
- Tug and Barge Safety
Members in the tug and barge sector have always made up a large proportion of entered tonnage at Shipowners’, so the Club has produced a range of relevant guidance to assist Members and their crew.
- Safe Mooring Operations
With effect from 1st January 2024, amendments to SOLAS have been introduced that have a focus on mooring lines, equipment and fittings. We would like to draw Member’s attention to the new guidance from the IMO in MSC.1/Circ.1620 and remind that we have a range of mooring related guidance available on the Club website).
February
- The Benefits of the Condition Survey Programme (CSP)
In 2023 the Club performed 491 condition surveys. Surveys carried out through the CSP are a vital part of the Club’s risk mitigation framework and contribute to the Club’s overall purpose of ensuring peace of mind.
- Introducing: the 'In Focus' Topic
We’re introducing a new way of highlighting data from the condition survey programme as well as sharing related loss prevention guidance and advice from industry experts. Our first in focus topic is maritime cyber security.
- 2023 Top 5 Defects
The Condition Survey Programme enables the Club to highlight the most frequently reported defects along with related guidance to raise awareness of pertinent issues and thereby assist our Members in mitigating related incidents. This is one way in which the CSP is mutually beneficial for all Members.
March
- Basics of Navigation
The Club’s Condition Survey Programme findings on navigational elements and analysis of navigational-related claims highlighting the dominance of the human element serve as a reminder to adhere to the basics of navigation. The Club has produced a range of relevant guidance to assist Members and their crew, including the Navigation Booklet Series, documents on the Importance of Proper Passage Planning and Keeping a Proper Lookout which can all be found here.
- Safe use of ECDIS
Navigating with an ECDIS has undeniable safety benefits. However, incorrect use may cause serious navigational situations, leading to incidents such as collisions and groundings. Members and their crews should remain cautious about the incorrect use of ECDIS, as highlighted in the Club’s Guidance.
- Case Studies
Case studies developed following maritime incident investigations are a great source of learning. They can provide invaluable insights into the underlying causes and factors that led to an incident, as well as recommend best practices to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. Attention is therefore drawn to newly issued case studies – (i) Use of mobile phone leads to vessel grounding and (ii) Bow Thruster failure results in rig damage.
April
- Yacht Navigation in Adverse Weather
As the tropical cyclone season for the Northern Hemisphere approaches, our Members will also be bringing yachts back into service following overwintering. The Club would like to draw attention to our yacht specific adverse weather guidance and encourage Members to be vigilant in maintaining a watch on all available forecasting resources.
- Heavy Weather Precautions
It is widely accepted that climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. To assist Members in preparing for the challenges posed by heavy weather, the Club has produced a series of checklists that detail key operational aspects to be considered.
- The Importance of Maintaining Air Pipes and associated closing Devices on Deck
The closing devices on air pipes are an essential safety feature. Defective closing devices or air pipes may allow water to ingress into the tanks during heavy seas, leading to stability hazards. The Club's Condition Survey Programme revealed that defects related to air pipes and closing devices are prevalent and would like to highlight the importance of maintaining air pipes and associated closing devices.
May
- Evolving Operational and Security Risks
Due to the rapidly evolving security situation and increased threat to merchant vessels in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean area, the Club would like to provide Members with current advice and support.
- Piracy Podcast
Bhaskar Nigam, Head of Loss Prevention (Singapore), converses with Maj Joseph Lee (Head of Operations) and LCDR Kamaruladhwa (Malaysia ILO) from Information Fusion Centre (IFC) on matters related to Piracy. This podcast focuses on the role IFC plays in combating regional piracy, recent trends, precautionary and reporting measures with an emphasis on the Club’s niche tonnage of small and specialist vessels. More information on Piracy related matters can be found at the Club’s landing page on Piracy.
June
- Global Discrepancies in the Regulation of Scrubber Wash Water Discharge
In order to manage the potential risks with open loop scrubber discharge, there are global regulations on the monitoring, recording and discharge quality of scrubber wash water. In order to assist Members and reduce the chance of receiving large fines due to discrepancies in local regulations, we would like to bring to their attention a new resource from Bimco, which aims to keep an up-to-date list of all the known regulations in each country for scrubber wash water discharge.
- Corporate Responsibility Strategy
The Club’s Corporate Responsibility Strategy outlines the Club’s priority in supporting its Membership, wherever possible, with their own emission reduction journeys. More details can be found here.
July
- Medisea
The Club’s Medisea programme continues to expand its footprint in order to make the associated physical health and wellbeing enhancements available for more seafaring nationalities. This has largely been due to positive feedback received by our participating Members who have experienced an improvement in the general morale on board with healthier seafarers amongst other related benefits.
- Malaria and other Health Related Claims
The Club continues to receive notifications of malaria and other health related claims and has issued updated guidance on malaria prevention and other global health risks. The advice may be beneficial for members operating vessels around the world.
- Decarbonisation Survey Podcast
Ian Grainger, Loss Prevention Manager (London) and Chirag Bahri (ISWAN) join Julia Gosling and Adam Parnell to discuss the release of ISWAN’s Decarbonisation Survey. The podcast discusses how the move to decarbonisation in the maritime sector is important for the shipping industry but must be done while ensuring the safety of those working on board ships around the world. More information on decarbonisation can be found on the Club’s decarbonisation landing page.
August
- Safety Management System
A key part of an effective Safety Management System (SMS) is the inclusion of a comprehensive Planned Maintenance System (PMS) as this important framework will assist crew to identify and rectify maintenance related issues on board prior to them developing into more serious situations. The Club has grouped together resources on this subject under the On Board Maintenance heading under the Vessel Safety dropdown.
- Ultrasonic Thickness Measurements
In 2023, 21% (88 of 425) of vessels surveyed as part of the Club’s Condition Survey Programme did not have a copy of the vessel hull thickness gauging report available. Whilst mandatory for larger tonnage, small vessels may not be subject to the same regulatory requirements and standards. The Club strongly recommends that voluntary steps are taken to follow good practices, if such measures are not mandatory, to reap the benefits of using Ultrasonic Thickness Measurements (UTM) as a Diagnostic Tool. To assist Members with this, the Club in collaboration with Mentor Marine Consultants has produced this advice on UTM, to provide insight into the method and benefits of non-destructive testing to monitor hull condition.
- Planned Maintenance System
Many of our Members’ vessels are not required to conform to SOLAS and therefore, to the requirements of the ISM Code. However, there are some requirements that are advisable to be adopted from the Code as a measure of good practice – one of them being the use of Planned Maintenance System (PMS). The Club, together with Eric Holliday, of Fish Safety Foundation, have produced this guidance on the importance of implementing PMS on vessels where ISM does not apply.
September
- Risk Assessments
Risk Assessment is a continuous process and an important part of this is that Risk Assessments are reviewed and updated as necessary. We have reviewed our Passenger Risk Assessments to reflect recent developments and claim trends.