Industry partners could still do more to ensure the safety of crews, says INTERCARGO, as it has
submitted its latest Bulk Carrier Casualty Report to the Sub-Committee on IMO Instruments (III 8),
convening at the end of the month.
Despite high levels of awareness from shipowners themselves of the dangers of improperly loaded
cargo, the Report identified that liquefaction continues to be the greatest contributor to loss of life
in the bulk sector. In the last ten years the lives of 70 seafarers were lost as a result of five bulk
carrier casualties, four carrying nickel ore and one carrying bauxite.
During this period the Report identifies a total of 27 bulk carriers over 10,000 dwt as total losses, and
92 crew members lost their lives. Liquefaction accounted for 18.5% of the total vessel casualties in
the past ten years yet was the cause of 76.1% of the total loss of life.
The Report highlighted that not only were IMSBC Code requirements not being followed, especially
in relation to testing and certification of cargo condition, but that there was also lack of adequate
assessment and monitoring of the condition of cargoes being loaded in the cargo holds by
representatives of all interests.
Uttam Kumar Jaiswal, Vice-Chairman of INTERCARGO says: “Unusually, this report is not targeted at
ship operators. They are well aware of the risks to their crews and their vessels caused by carrying
cargos prone to liquefaction and make every effort they can to mitigate those risks.
“It is the lack of consolidated effort and commitment from many stakeholders to resolve the
problem that is evident. These can include shippers, receivers and port state authorities at loading
and discharging ports. We need action from those our industry relies upon for its safety – the IMO,
legislators, and suppliers to ensure that that the minimum obligations under the IMSBC Code are
properly fulfilled. The industry is simply talking to itself, if we cannot force action from our other
stakeholder groups.
“INTERCARGO urges all shipowners, operators, and seafarers to exercise extreme caution when
accepting, for carriage, nickel ore, bauxite, iron ore fines, ball clay and other cargoes that have the
potential to liquefy. They need to be especially cautious when loading during a wet season as is
currently being experienced in certain parts of South-East Asia and West Africa. We would like to
stress the importance of adhering to the provisions in the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes
Code (IMSBC Code) to ensure the safety of lives at sea and the safe transportation of dry bulk
cargoes.”
The Report highlights grounding as the most common reported cause of bulk carrier losses from
2012 to 2021, with 13 casualties, representing 48.1% of total losses. The investigation reports
available highlight that human error both operationally and in navigation contributed to the majority
of the 13 casualties.
Accident reporting also comes under the spotlight. It is well known that lessons from incidents and
casualties and sharing of experience are effective approaches to raise safety awareness and vital to
deepen understanding and knowledge of existing rules, regulations and skills. All too frequently
however, there is a significant delay between the time at which a report, or an initial report is
submitted by an accident investigating organisation and when that information becomes publicly
available.
There is some good news. Statistics of ship losses and consequential seafarer fatalities suggest that
safety performance of the bulk carrier industry is heading in the right direction, with a clear trend of
improvement. However, there is no room for complacency and there are still opportunities for
further improvement by re-evaluating and implementing enhanced measures to address cargo
safety and safe navigation, thereby striving to eliminate losses in the future.
The INTERCARGO Bulk Carrier Casualty Report can be accessed free of charge from the Association’s
website.
1 www.intercargo.org/video-2021
