Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) is currently running a campaign to promote safe onboard welding across the Asia Pacific region. The Welding Safety Inspection Service, launched earlier this year in Singapore, deals head-on with the challenges faced by vessel owners and operators in maintaining welding equipment onboard and ensuring operational practices are up to date with regulations. At this time, the inspection service is offered free of charge to existing customers.
Paul Rogers, Commercial Director, North East Asia, WSS said, “Onboard maintenance engineers have to cope with a huge variety of repairs which often have to be undertaken at sea under challenging conditions. Welding and using welding equipment onboard are effectively unregulated practices that carry with them a number of potentially serious safety risks. Until now, these risks have not been addressed by one single market supplier and there is a general lack of understanding and knowledge around welding equipment and practices.”
Risks to seafarers from poor practices or badly maintained equipment range from electric shock to gas cylinder explosions. The Welding Safety Inspection Program enables WSS safety engineers to check welding and related equipment onboard ships and ensure that it is in good working order and safe to use.
Mr. Rogers added, “Many of these accidents are simply ‘waiting to happen,’ but they can be prevented through the inspection of welding equipment and the immediate reporting of such deficiencies in order that they may be rectified. WSS is the first and only supplier to address the issues over welding safety and offer an onboard inspection service and it’s a role we are proud to play.”
WSS offers a portfolio of Unitor branded welding equipment, cleaning and maintenance products, spares and gases. Its range of welding solutions represents a compact but complete solution to onboard welding and related applications.
The product range is supported by a welding safety handbook, WSS-approved Unitor training programs at a number of maritime training centers and a global service network providing 24/7 support.
