LOSS PREVENTION: HEAVY WEATHER – PROTECTING THE VESSEL AND CARGO TO PREVENT CLAIMS
Your Managers are pleased to announce the publication of a new guidance document, Heavy Weather – Protecting the Vessel and Cargo to Prevent Claims, available in English, and new and traditional Mandarin, which focuses on risks to the vessel and cargo as well as risks to the crew. It complements the Club’s previous guidance, Heavy Weather – All hands on deck?, which focused on evaluating the risks to crew members going out on deck in heavy weather.
What is “heavy weather” for one vessel might not be the same for another vessel, particularly related to vessel motion and the potential for heavy seas to damage the vessel and cargo. The risks depend on the vessel’s size, draft, and trim, the stability characteristics for its loaded condition, sea conditions, the shape of the hull, and the vessel’s speed and heading.
Heavy weather has caused damage to vessels, resulting in numerous insurance claims. Heavy weather has also caused damage to cargo, resulting in cargo-related claims. When heavy weather is anticipated along the intended route, the mariners, as well as shoreside management, should continuously assess the risks and mitigate them as appropriate.
