Page 106 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - ΣΕΠΤΕΜΒΡΙΟΣ 2022

HORIZON FROM THE BRIDGE

After Rough Weather ALLIANZ SAFETY AND SHIPPING
• Inspect all cleats, guides, and hydrau- REVIEW 2022
lic components for damage. If hydraulic The international shipping industry carries around
components have been damaged, do not 90% of world trade, so vessel safety is critical.
attempt to open the covers. The emergency During the early 1990s, the global fleet was los-
opening procedure should be followed ing 200+ vessels a year. Over the past four years,
until the hydraulic components have been these losses have dropped to around 50 to 75
checked and tested. a year— a statistic made more impressive by the
• Check hatch covers for buckling or distor- fact that the global fleet today comprises an esti-
tion. mated 130,000 ships (exceeding 100 gross ton-
• When opening the hatch covers, check for nage) compared to some 80,000 30 years ago.
uneven movement and any unusual noises The sector continued its long-term positive
that may indicate damage. safety trend in 2021 with 54 reported total losses
• Check all grease points and re-grease. compared to 65 a year earlier. Over the past
The avoidance and prevention of injuries are decade, annual shipping losses have declined
of paramount importance. Before working on a by 57% (127 ships), while 2021 represents a sig-
hatch, a risk assessment should be completed nificant improvement on the rolling 10-year loss
to identify all hazards. Control and safety pro- average (89), reflecting the increased focus on
cedures should be examined and modified to safety measures over time, such as regulation,
minimise hazards. improved ship design and technology and risk
Only the combination of proper inspection, management advances.
correct and safe operation and regular mainte- South China, Indochina, Indonesia, and the
nance of hatch covers will ensure that the goods Philippines are the main global loss hotspot,
loaded onboard ships can be transported in line accounting for one in-five losses (12), although
with best industry practices. activity has declined year on year. The Arabian
Gulf (9) saw a significant increase in loss activity
and ranks second, ahead of the East Mediterra-
nean and the Black Sea regions, which rank third
(7). South East Asian waters have also been a
major loss location in the past decade (225 out
of 892), driven by factors such as high levels of
local and international trade, congested ports,
older fleets and extreme weather.
Cargo vessels accounted for half of all vessels
lost in 2021 (27). Foundering (sinking) was the
leading cause of all losses across all vessel
types during 2021, accounting for around 60%
(or 32 vessels). Fire/explosion ranked second
(15%/8), with machinery damage/failure third
(11%/6). Extreme weather was reported as being
a factor in at least 13 losses during 2021, while
December and May were the most frequent
months for losses, with seven each.
Collectively, foundering (52%), getting wrecked/
stranded (grounded) (18%), and fire/explosion
(13%) were the top three causes of total losses
over the past decade, accounting for more than
80% of the 892 reported losses.
While total losses declined over the past year,
the number of reported shipping casualties or
incidents increased. The British Isles saw the
highest number of reported incidents (668 out
of 3,000). Machinery damage/failure accounted
for over one-in-three incidents globally (1,311).
Fire/explosion (178) is the third top cause, after
collision (222), with the number of fires increas-
ing by almost 10% annually.

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