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LOSS PREVENTION In association with London P&I Club
A series of unfortunate events Carl Durow, Loss Prevention Manager, London P&I Club uses the example of a recent large bunker spill showing how all in the market must be prepared to learn even the simplest lessons to constantly improve and prevent and manage risk ever more effectively.
Loss prevention is at the heart of most P&I Clubs and these activities are vital in aiding members and assureds to operate safely and to implement best practice. Each Club has its own loss prevention activities which constantly evolve, to ensure that the message and knowledge is communicated in a format that is immediately understandable for staff at all levels. An example from the London P&I Club is a bunker operations/spill animation video that was recently produced to reach working mariners across the globe. Uniquely, this video is based on a real incident involving a vessel that was entered with The London Club and shows how a series of inter-related incidents resulted in a large bunker spill and a multi-million-dollar claim. These unprecedented and unfortunate chain of events offered an opportunity to share The Marine Insurer P&I Special Edition | July 2020
some key learning points to reduce the chances of such an event occurring again.
THE CHAIN OF EVENTS The vessel – a bulk carrier – was anchored inside port limits awaiting a bunker delivery. The chief engineer generally takes charge but, in this instance, the chief engineer had elected to go ashore and delegated the task to the fourth engineer. The fourth engineer was considerably less experienced than the chief, but instead of re-checking the bunkering procedures and completing the relevant checklists, he opted to run the bunker operation from memory. When the bunker barge arrived alongside and hoses were being connected, the fourth engineer was asked by the watchman if the scupper plugs were needed. The fourth engineer answered no as none of the tanks were being topped off.
