Navigational Audits contribute to reducing near-misses and accidents
Although the techniques for safe navigation are well known, the safe navigation of a vessel remains a challenge. It has been reported that more than 80% of shipping accidents have a non-technical cause; they are related rather to human error. The last Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on “Safety of Navigation” conducted by the Paris MoU in 2009 recorded that during 6331 inspections 1872 (30%) deficiencies were identified. To reduce navigational risks charterers recommend undertaking navigational audits.
Any accident or serious incident can have disastrous repercussions on a company’s reputation. According to the Swedish P&I club, over the past six years four major cases have produced abnormally high claims. These cases represented nearly 2 billion USD in P&I costs. Clearly, it is time for shipping to become much more risk adverse. Research has shown that the top 25% of ships, ranked according to safety, are involved in only 7% of all accidents. This clearly demonstrates the significant potential for reducing the number of shipping accidents.
Navigation is an area under close review by risk assessment teams. Navigational audits are already a requirement of the Tanker Management and Self-Assessment (TMSA) 3- Stage 4 and becoming more common in other trades, for example bulk carriers. Even though not a mandatory requirement, it is an element which speaks to a company’s operational quality as well as a tool to improve performance, not only in the tanker business but also in order to satisfy charterers’ requirements.
Navigation is an area under close review by risk assessment teams. Navigational audits are already a requirement of the Tanker Management and Self-Assessment (TMSA) 3- Stage 4 and becoming more common in other trades, for example bulk carriers. Even though not a mandatory requirement, it is an element which speaks to a company’s operational quality as well as a tool to improve performance, not only in the tanker business but also in order to satisfy charterers’ requirements.