Braemar (incorporating The Salvage Association) (Braemar SA) has called for more training to be given in order to make vessel casualties manageable in the event of high-risk incidents.
Addressing delegates at the annual International Shipowning and Shipmanagement Summit in Singapore today (3rd October), Graeme Temple, Far East Regional Director for Braemar SA said: “Training is essential to managing incidents effectively and looking at how processes can be improved. Often we see casualties needlessly occurring because of human error, this can be managed, if not avoided, by providing the appropriate training before such events occur.
“Most large casualties are a once in a lifetime event, but we must make sure Masters are prepared for every eventuality. Very often the first decisions after an incident are crucial, that is why ship managers and owners, as well as incident support teams, must ensure that the right infrastructure and support is there when it is needed.”
Mr Temple also expressed his concerns on the impact poor crew motivation has been having and is likely to continue to have in the current poor climate. “Human error is the cause of many casualties, but poor motivation, for whatever reason, plays a very large part in this I suspect,” he added.
Mr Temple gave the surveyors perspective in a session entitled ‘Casualty scenario: what can be done to reduce the risks even further?’ where he discussed how the industry can better itself when dealing with casualties, alongside the ship management trade association, InterManager and ship manager Exmar.