Super Seabin

On the job 24/7

WORDS: JIM BITTL, SUSTAINABILITY WORKING GROUP

ong Kong waters showcase a diversity of marine life, watercraft, and… plastics. Members are well acquainted with the frequently overwhelming amount of plastic pollution in the beaches, harbours, and waterways. What can we do? What can the club do?

Our Pick Up Plastic initiative is addressing this problem in several ways.

The Club’s Sustainability Working Group is pursing many active initiatives focused on tackling plastics pollution. However, one initiative is working 24/7 and just might be the most productive to date – the Seabin.

Australian co-founder Pete Ceglinski designed the Seabin to meet the increasing needs for a hands-off plastic collection system. Marinas were a good place to start given the reduced current, wave, and wind action. The Seabin is a stationary unit that sucks surface water through a collecting bin thereby trapping floating plastics and rubbish. The debris can then be sorted, recycled, and disposed of properly. In addition to visible plastics and rubbish, the bin can also filter some oils and pollutants.

Wärtsilä, the marine and energy lifecycle solutions company, donated a Seabin to the Club in 2019. The Club originally installed the bin at Kellet Island but found that the boat wakes and large amount of particulate matter adversely affected its performance. Marine Manager Alan Reid moved the bin to Shelter Cove where it performed effectively and has since remained by Kellett VI. This location funnels floating debris during southeasterlies where it collects on average 2.5KG of rubbish and recyclables per day. Debris is blown to the other side of the cove during northeasterlies where the Hebe Haven Seabin can work its magic.

DEBRIS

FILTER

OUTLET

Most recently, club member Reza Cockrell donated a second Seabin to the club. Reza and family have a history of sustainability – both at home and in business (check out the Malaysia-based Habitat Foundation). He had originally installed the bin in his AMC slip for proof of concept after coming across Seabin’s Kickstarter campaign. Upon giving up the slip he reached out to the Sustainability Working Group for the donation. It was good timing for Alan Reid’s team, and they were able to install Reza’s Seabin in Shelter Cove where it is working in tandem with the original Seabin.

We encourage members to visit the Club’s two Seabins at Shelter Cove. Even more importantly, we encourage members to actively pick-up floating plastics and debris both around the Club and when out on the water. Plastics pollution might appear to be unrelenting, but together we can make an impact one piece of plastic at a time.

embers may remember that the Marine Office sent out a note to members, advising them to check the clauses of their insurance documents, after the CMB Wing Lung Insurance Company Limited rejected an insurance claim, for the loss of a craft that had been stolen, as the insurance company stated that mooring a craft with rope to a mooring buoy is not a secure method of mooring and the owner should have used strong steel chain and anchor to securely moor the craft against theft. To someone that has been working with the water for the last 50 years this statement more than a little surprises me. Asking around various insurance brokers for their opinion on this, I soon found that there was a lot more to insurance for a boat that I had previous knowledge of. According to Cambridge English Dictionary Insurance is; “an agreement in which you pay a company money and they pay your costs if you have an accident, injury, etc.” Whilst many people would not quite agree with that definition, and would use words such as robbers; not worth the paper it is written on; do everything they can not to pay; ripped off; to name a few, insurance is a requirement for all boat owners. So what is it about insurance that makes people react this way? And what exactly does the boat owner get for his insurance premium? Well, in my humble opinion, YGWYPF. The minimum amount of third part liability insurance cover required in Hong Kong by the Marine Department is $ 5,000,000 for insurance against third party risks in respect of deaths or personal injuries. Members should note that the minimum requirement from MarDep does not cover damage to property; i.e. the other boat ! Most professional suppliers of insurance will, if providing liability cover only, provide full liability cover to include property. Often, however, a reputable insurance company will give you more liability coverage for the same premium. To put this in perspective, in the UK many Marinas want to see $30,000,000 coverage in third party liability and in Australia many want to see $59,000,000. If you are berthed in a marina and a fire spreads from your boat to the multimillion dollar gin palace in the berth next to you, $5,000,000 will not go far to cover your liability. Insurance for boats falls into two broad categories, third party and fully comprehensive, similar to a car insurance policy. An insurance document is a written agreement between the owner and the underwriter. I wonder how many Members have actually read their insurance policy, especially those members who race regularly? Tough going to get through all the pages of legalese. However it’s so important for owners to read what they are being asked to agree to and understand what they are covered for and what they are not covered for. In insurance broker speak, the two main types of comprehensive cover are Named Perils (Institute Yacht Clauses) and All Risks (American Yacht Form R12, insurer’s own wordings and others). Because named perils puts the burden of proof on the owner to show his clauses of cover do cover a loss whereas all risks requires the insurers to demonstrate how a yacht has not complied with its insurance if they don’t wish to pay a claim generally speaking the latter give cover which is more owner friendly. In my speak, the Institute Yacht Clauses give many pages of information on what the owner is covered for. In All Risks there are a couple of pages of what the owner is not covered for. For my mind the second is a lot easier to understand but is more expensive. Having said this if you purchase your insurance cover through a reputable broker, who will understand the insurance company speak, Institute Yacht Clauses can be amended to suit the owners requirements. Of course, getting this is likely to be more expensive than using people who are less experienced… But it does help get cover that will respond better to a problem. Again, YGWYPF. In any contract both sides have obligations… and insurance is no different. An owner is obliged to ‘act as a prudent uninsured at all times’, maintain his yacht to proper standards, advise all pertinent information to the broker to discuss with the underwriter and comply with local regulations. In turn insurers have an obligation to settle legitimate claims in a fair and reasonable manner. Maintaining seaworthiness is an important part of an owner’s obligations… it’s worth noting that this is not limited to the physical condition of the yacht, it also refers to crew who are suitably experienced to operate the vessel they are in command of… And this does not mean paper Certificates alone but also actual hands on experience and knowledge. Similarly to a car that has to be given a MOT after it is six years old, an older boat may also be required to be surveyed prior to the insurance company giving coverage. Yes this is an extra cost to the boat owner but not all owners are particular about maintaining their boats and regularly check items such as sea cocks, to see if they are operating correctly, or the keel bolts to see if they are in good condition. Often items hidden in the bilge are not checked by the owner. How old is your rigging? When, or has, it last been checked? What is the condition of your bilge pumps and piping? A yacht is an expensive asset and if the asset is to be protected properly it should have a good quality crew, maintenance programme and insurance cover. If run properly a yacht costs between 10% and 15% of its new (not second hand) delivery price each year to run…. The cost of insurance will be about 5% (1/20th) of this annual operating cost for a yacht that does not race, between that and 10% if it does race. So for a well run yacht the insurance cost is not a high percentage of the operating costs. Don’t be loath to ask questions or get advice from a broker. That is what they are there for. Ask about cruising range, typhoon coverage, crew insurance, racing risks, boatyard cover, etc. However when shopping around bear in mind that you should compare apples with apples. You Get What You Pay For. With thanks to Colin Dawson from Expat Marine for his sage advice. Happy Claims.