Ship inspection business Idwal said it has added 12 key crew welfare questions to its inspection process in an attempt to help raise awareness of some of the issues facing seafarers globally.
With its international surveyor network, Idwal has several representatives on all types of vessels every day. Having traditionally just covered data points around ship condition and management, the company, which comprises several former seafarers, said it is passionate about improving awareness of crew welfare issues and has long wanted to enhance their inspection reports with this vital, but often overlooked, aspect of a vessel.
Idwal Senior Marine Surveyor and Crew Welfare Advocate, Thom Herbert said, “We have added twelve new questions to our vessel checklist with the focus on objective questions to make the findings harder to ignore and focus on areas where any problem has a clear solution. Questions cover areas such as onboard Wi-Fi, gym facilities, onboard training facilities, access to bonded stores and catering services, and whether additional periods of rest are available.”
These crew welfare points will feed into the overall Idwal Grade, which is programmatically calculated from over 500 individual data points, captured during each vessel inspection and represented as a number between 1 and 100. “In this way, crew wellbeing factors will have a direct link to the Idwal Grade the vessel receives,” Herbert said.