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Safety Onboard: IMO And ILO Call For More Responsibility By Owners |
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Monday Brief - 20 October 2008 |
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| by Gary Carroll |
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In the past you’ve heard me mention the maritime convention that will require shipowners to ensure the safety and welfare of the crew; and with the potential for insurance premiums to begin trending upward NOW is the time to be proactive toward safety onboard all vessels – for everyone.
In 2010 the IMO plans to ratify a convention requiring shipowners to financially guarantee the health and welfare of crewmembers. Presently, insurers are urging owners to take steps to reduce claims – both physical damage of the vessel and bodily injury of crew and guests – a significant number of which can be attributed to crew.
Fact: 22% of claims filed in recent years are due to crew error (be they under-qualified/under-trained crew or a result of overwork and fatigue) which represented 40% of claims dollars paid out; and owners pay the price. There’s no denying that more needs to be done to ensure safety at sea; which means more training, more involvement… and more money.
These days it’s tough to suggest that owners spend more to enhance their safety and security plans, but spending a little now could help ebb the upward swell of premiums; and at the very least it puts owners and crew in a position of being more active in ensuring that all facets of this industry are addressed not simply from the bottom line, but as well from the perspective of mitigating the causal relationship between onboard procedures, losses and escalating premiums.
Regardless, when the convention is ratified in 2010 owners will be forced to comply.
For more information on what the convention means to you and your yacht owners, yacht crew and onboard guests, contact CYA/Comprehensive Yacht Assurance at info@cyacht.net. |
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Published with permission - www.cyacht.net © CYA/Comprehensive Yacht Assurance |
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