P&I Clubs

The appointment of a suitably experienced surveyor is vital to avoid steel cargo damage says North P&I

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North of England P&I Club has elected to publish a briefing document providing best advice leading to the minimisation of the risk of cargo damage
North of England P&I Club has elected to publish a briefing document providing best advice leading to the minimisation of the risk of cargo damage

Several problems can arise when transporting steel cargoes by sea reports North P&I. The more common issues can be broadly categorised as mechanical damage, or rust-related problems. Indeed, in many cases the damage occurs before it is even loaded onto the carrying vessel. North of England P&I Club has elected to publish a briefing document providing best advice leading to the minimisation of the risk of cargo damage.

Common issues that can result in damage to the cargo include poor handling, substandard stowage and securing, water ingress into the hold and improper hold ventilation.

Key issues
Pre-shipment condition: It is not uncommon for steel cargoes to Continue reading “The appointment of a suitably experienced surveyor is vital to avoid steel cargo damage says North P&I”

Wet damage the most costly claim for bulk carriers says The Swedish Club

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Image Courtesy: Empros Lines
Image Courtesy: Empros Lines

The Swedish Club has published a report warning bulk carrier owners to pay extra attention to the basics. The Club has concluded that for bulk carrier operators, wet damage is the most costly claim type and the second most common claim that they experience.

The report is entitled Wet Damage on Bulk Carriers and has been prepared in cooperation with DNV GL, and MacGregor. It identifies heavy weather and leaking hatch covers as the most common and the most costly type of wet damage claim and the average cost for a wet damage cargo claim being almost $110,000.

Whilst weather routeing minimises the effects of Continue reading “Wet damage the most costly claim for bulk carriers says The Swedish Club”

London P&I Club reveals key causes of recent container loss claims

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Photo credit: London P&I Club
Photo credit: London P&I Club

A recent run of container loss claims by the London P&I Club has highlighted some of the common contributory factors that emerge as part of the investigation process. The Club noted that the subject of misdeclared container weights continues to be a problem. But with this particular run of claims it was the attending surveyor’s observations about cargo securing equipment that caught the eye.

In these cases, it became clear that several manual twist locks were not correctly locked at the time of the incident. The causes for this were considered to be two-fold – some twist locks were damaged (specifically with locking levers either bent or missing), or the units in service were a mixture of right and left-hand locking units, leading to confusion over the observed status of the twist lock.

Upon investigation, a number of container corner castings and container foundations showed no signs of having a locked twist lock forcibly removed during the collapse, the natural conclusion being Continue reading “London P&I Club reveals key causes of recent container loss claims”

Standard P&I Club issues a guide to fire safety on ferries

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Standard P&I Club issues a guide to fire safety on ferries
Standard P&I Club issues a guide to fire safety on ferries

A fire is one of the most frightening things that can happen at sea. Often, seafarers have no ready access to the
emergency services when a fire breaks out and will need to rely on their own resources, courage and training to tackle and extinguish the blaze quickly to ensure the safety of the ship and everyone on board. To help Standard P&I Club has issued a guide to fire safety on ferries.

There are numerous causes of fire but the most relevant to ferries are:
– Electrical defects, such as overloaded electrical equipment, damaged cables and poorly formed connections. – Electrical faults in vehicles, especially when engines are hot/running. Reefer containers are major sources of fire.
– Mechanical failure, such as ignition from overheated bearings or a catastrophic engine failure.
– Uncontrolled release of oil or flammable liquid coming into contact with a hot surface, or the release of a low flashpoint fuel, such as petrol vapour, coming into contact with a source of ignition.
– Dry, readily combustible materials (such as wood, paper, textiles) coming into contact with an ignition source, such as a lighted cigarette, sparks or conducted heat from burning or cutting, highintensity lights or defective electrical equipment.

Continue reading “Standard P&I Club issues a guide to fire safety on ferries”

Improper securing arrangement of sea strainer cover leads to vessel capsizing

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Improper securing arrangement of sea strainer cover leads to vessel capsizing
Improper securing arrangement of sea strainer cover leads to vessel capsizing

Shipowners P&I Club has issued a case study about the capsizing of a vessel due to a loose port side sea strainer. Whilst double banked alongside another tug for four months awaiting a placement in dry dock, a harbour tug suddenly developed a list to port. Crew on board at the time quickly investigated to try and determine the point of water ingress, but struggled as the water level reached approximately 1 metre in height in the flooded engine room.

As the engine room crew tried to establish and stop the source of ingress, the deck crew were adjusting the mooring ropes to keep the vessel safely alongside as the vessel listed further to port. Eventually, the master took the decision to abandon the vessel as it was no longer safe to remain on board.

Continue reading “Improper securing arrangement of sea strainer cover leads to vessel capsizing”

Recent research findings highlight issues with dirty engine room bilges

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Recent research findings highlight issues with dirty engine room bilges
Recent research findings highlight issues with dirty engine room bilges

Recent analysis of the Shipowners Club’s Condition Survey Programme has highlighted that approximately 25% of the vessels surveyed showed evidence of contaminated engine room bilges. As such, Shipowners Club seeks to raise awareness of the potential fire hazards associated with oily engine room bilges and the checks and steps that a ship’s crew and/or surveyor should undertake.

Whilst an oily bilge may not be the immediate source of a fire, any fire that arises in an engine room or machinery space has the potential to escalate and spread rapidly. The presence of oil accumulated in bilges or drip trays act as additional fuel to sustain burning and increase the likelihood of the fire reaching further areas.

With respect to these, the Club notes the following:

Ships carrying heavy fuel oil cargoes subject to ongoing condition surveys

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Libya releases tanker carrying fuel to rival government
Libya releases tanker carrying fuel to rival government

In order to improve ship standards, the International Group of P&I Clubs has said it will continue to conduct survey triggers for seagoing vessels of 10 years of age or more carrying heavy fuel oil cargoes.

As a result, all sea-going vessels that are 10 years old or more and have carried heavy fuel oil as cargo within the previous 12 months will be subject to condition survey, unless:

– The vessel has undergone a P&I club condition survey during the previous 12 months.
– The vessel has undergone a Special Survey during the previous 6 months.
– The vessel has a valid Condition Assessment Program (CAP) rating of 1 or 2 with a classification society having membership in the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS).

Operators should have in mind that a declaration is now required so that Continue reading “Ships carrying heavy fuel oil cargoes subject to ongoing condition surveys”

UK P&I Club releases a detailed guidance report on packing dangerous goods for carriage by sea

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UK P&I Club releases a detailed guidance report on packing dangerous goods for carriage by sea
UK P&I Club releases a detailed guidance report on packing dangerous goods for carriage by sea

As accidents involving dangerous goods continue to occur with regularity at sea, the UK P&I Club has published a comprehensive guide running to more than 100 pages to support operators who pack dangerous goods into cargo units for onward transportation by sea.

As part of the new guide, UK P&I Club makes the following points and advice:
– Improper packing practices and loads not properly secured increase the number of accidents across the supply chain and have as a result caused damages, loss and injuries, both on land and at sea.
– There is a lack of guidance regarding personnel working in the cargo handling industry. That is where the Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU) becomes relevant. The CTU provides information regarding packing cargo in containers, in order to comply with the requirements of sea and land transport.
– Classification of dangerous goods: The first key task for an operator is to make sure that the dangerous goods on board have the correct UN classification.
– Selection of Continue reading “UK P&I Club releases a detailed guidance report on packing dangerous goods for carriage by sea”

Operators and surveyors urged to test cargo hold’s bilge system to minimise claims

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Operators and surveyors urged to test cargo hold bilge systems to minimise claims
Operators and surveyors urged to test cargo hold bilge systems to minimise claims

The UK P&I Club has reminded those working in the marine industry that significant insurance damage claims can result if a bulk cargo is damaged due to the leakage of the bilge system into a loaded bulk cargo hold.

To reduce the chance of such cargo damage, operators and surveyors are advised to inspect and test the cargo hold bilge system as part of the routine pre-loading checks of the cargo holds.

Inspection and testing of cargo hold bilge system non-return valves should be included in routine pre-loading checks of the holds. These non-return valves may not be seated tightly, because of the Continue reading “Operators and surveyors urged to test cargo hold’s bilge system to minimise claims”

Autonomous vessels – the challenges and opportunities in design

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Autonomous vessels – the challenges and opportunities in design
Autonomous vessels – the challenges and opportunities in design

Automation presents a set of unique challenges to designers, insurers and operators of ships. In this article, reprinted from the Shipowners P&I Club website Keir Gravil, a naval architect at Frazer-Nash Consultancy in Bristol, UK discusses some of the key issues that could face automated ships of the future from a design perspective.

It is a truth recognised by many industries that the future of transportation lies with greater automation. Over the last 50 years we have seen huge changes not only in shipping, but in every form of transportation and vehicle. Aircraft now incorporate automation routinely on flights around the world, cars are being developed to drive themselves and many railways have been totally automated for some time. As each step in the evolution of transportation progresses, the human element of control is reduced or eliminated altogether. But what of shipping? Surely an industry the size and scope of international shipping faces unique challenges in the realm of automation?

The background
It is often the job of ship designers, especially those in the naval defence industry, to think ahead and anticipate future technological changes. One could argue that Continue reading “Autonomous vessels – the challenges and opportunities in design”

Improper maintenance could have cost the lives of two surveyors says UK P&I Club case study

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Photo credit: UK P&I Club
Photo credit: UK P&I Club

In UK P&I Club’s latest ‘Lessons Learned’ series of case studies, Captain David Nichol presents the case regarding improper ventilation after a maintenance operation, which could have led to the deaths of two surveyors during a third party survey on the emergency fire pump.

About the incident
During a third party survey, the surveyor made a request to test the emergency fire pump, which was arranged with the assistance of the chief engineer. The emergency fire pump was located in a recessed well in the steering gear compartment, approximately 3 metres deep and accessed by an inclined stairway. At the start of the test, the surveyor asked to observe the pump being started locally and operating before proceeding on deck to check the hoses rigged fore and aft.

Shortly after descending into the fire pump well, the chief engineer urgently ordered the surveyors to get out and by the time both men reached the steering compartment deck, they were Continue reading “Improper maintenance could have cost the lives of two surveyors says UK P&I Club case study”

Cargo damage caused by leaking hatch covers

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Cargo damage caused by leaking hatch covers
Cargo damage caused by leaking hatch covers

The Swedish P&I Club has described the case of cargo damage on a bulk carrier caused by water ingress, as a result of the poor condition of hatch covers.

The incident
The bulk carrier had seven cargo holds which had been fully loaded with soybeans. The vessel had side rolling cargo hatch covers. For six days, the vessel encountered heavy weather of force 9 on the Beaufort scale, causing the vessel to pitch and roll heavily. The cargo hatch covers were repeatedly washed over by seawater.

All hatch covers were opened when the vessel was at anchor and waiting for an available berth. This was to ensure the vessel was gas free since fumigation had been carried out in all cargo holds at the loading port. When the cargo hatch covers were removed, it was found that Continue reading “Cargo damage caused by leaking hatch covers”

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