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Cornerstones of quality shipping

The world would not be the same without ships as means of transport; the importance of shipping for the international trade cannot be overrated. Safety, environment and security are cornerstones of quality shipping but this said it is clear that there are different ways of running a shipping company.
The short-sighted kind run their ships and crew figuratively, and sometimes literally, at rock bottom. Others have a more serious and long-sighted vision and invest in a safe and environmental sound business. They are the ones who have realised that investments in safety, environment and security are more than goodwill. It is down right profitable.
An unforeseen accident or a breakdown that result in offhire and an unplanned visit to the shipyard can be a costly experience. Especially these days when the yards are working overtime and an available berth slot can be far away, as for the cruiser Nordkapp that was taken to Bremerhaven after grounding in the Antarctic.

Investment in safety is of course not only about payback-time. It is also about saving lives. In the past two years eight people have died in Swedish ports in accidents in enclosed spaces onboard. Crew and stevedores have unwittingly entered tanks and cargo holds where either a lack of oxygen or hazardous gases has killed them. It is not lack of technology that caused these fatalities, if anything it is the availability and usability. In this issue we take a closer look on a gas detection system that might be part of the solution for at least some ships.

I doubt that we will ever see environmental friendly ships beyond Utopia but there is much to be done about the environmental influence. I learnt the difference in these two expressions from PhD-student Hulda Winnes at Chalmers University of Technology. She is currently studying cost-effective measures for a sustainable ship industry and has written an article about her work.

It is pleasing to see that green shipping is on the global agenda. There is work to be done if the industry is to loose the bad reputation as a messy polluter and instead show itself as the green mode of transports it is. To do this IMO must take the front seat and actually deliver. The organisation has an excellent track record in producing reports and setting up committees. Meanwhile the predacious comb jelly has settled in nicely in the Baltic after a comfortable ride in the ballast tanks and only aviation greenhouse gas emissions are growing at a faster rate than shipping.
If the industry continues to stall, an endless amount of regional policies will emerge across the globe, probably resulting in extra costs as well as making the administrative burden even heavier – an outcome unwelcome by most masters and chief engineers.

With a shortage of seafarers and a global recruiting problem, creating a happy ship with good working and living conditions onboard should be essential in order to both attract and make competent employees stay with the company.
The shortage of manpower is particularly apparent in the engine room. Out of sight, out of mind – the engine department does not get much academic attention and much can be done to improve the work environment and minimise the occupational hazards. Marine engineer and researcher Monica Andersson, another PhD-student at Chalmers, has just commenced a pioneering research. She intends to study every corner of the engine room and every aspect of the engine crew’s work. The first place under scrutiny is the control room.

Modern ships are equipped with advanced technology and it is not always easy to keep up with training in how to handle machinery and software correctly. Onboard, the production comes first and not all situations that we ought to prepare for are possible to exercise in a safe way.
At the training facility in Esbjerg they have built a complete mock-up of a Norwegian platform where the crew can exercise damage control under safe circumstances.

Security is getting increasingly important and the old issue with stowaways and piracy is as always topical. In his article on stowaways Paul Singer at Securewest International gives advice on both preventive measures and how to act when unwanted passengers are found onboard.

However, safety, security and environmental issues all demand the same fuel.Time, that too-elusive commodity in ship operation, is essential to carry out thenecessary preventive exercises and inspections and perform corrective and pro-active work. There are lessons to be learned out there but far to seldom do we have – or take – the necessary time.

//Cecilia Österman