Page 140 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - ΜΑΙΟΣ 2023

SAFETY UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT

Leading and managing a shipping company has become ever more challenging with a con-
tinuously increasing list of items on the busy agenda. Shipping is now not just about
moving cargo but includes Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) aspects, sustain-
ability, decarbonisation, new technologies, and responding to world events.

GET THE SAFETY

RIGHT…

GET EVERYTHING

RIGHT

There is, however, one area that has slipped down the agenda in recent years, which
also receives little attention in the world shipping media, and that is safety. Yet
safety remains the single greatest risk to shipping and the solution to managing
the many challenges.
Shipping is one of the world’s most hazardous industries. The Allianz report shows
an increasing number of shipping incidents, and according to Lloyd’s List Intelli-
gence data, in Q3 2022, shipping recorded the highest number of casualties in a
quarter in 14 years. There is also a rising number of seafarers reported as killed or
missing.

At the same time, other industries have recorded substantial safety improvements,
an example being the 85% reduction in accidents and fatalities on commercial air-
lines in the last 10 years reported by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
Although very different from shipping, the progress made by the airline industry
demonstrates what can be achieved when safety is placed at the top of the agenda.

Another critical aspect of safety that is little understood is that companies with a
strong safety performance also have a strong business performance. Simply put,
if you get the safety right…you get everything right. The reason is that safety is
central to everything we do, both at work and in our daily lives, because it is about
people, our families and children, but also our seafarers who also have families and
children. Our employees are the lifeblood of our companies, and we must put their
safety at the very heart of shipping.
Getting our safety programmes right is imperative today and vital to the future
success of any shipping company. Safety ensures the shipping industry’s future
sustainability and attracts high-quality talent. In addition, shipping’s decarbonisa-
tion will not be possible without a strong safety focus. Finally, safety allows us to
develop a mindset of learning from each other and enables teams to collaborate,
by Dr Grahaeme Henderson generate fresh ideas, and deliver solutions to a host of challenges.
OBE FREng, If there is an incident, it will cost a company dearly in terms of both direct and indi-
Chairman at Together in Safety
rect costs. Insurance may cover some of the costs, but the company will incur the

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