Losses of containers at sea have increased 4-fold in the last 3 years because they are less seaworthy
 The World Shipping Council reported that for 2020-2021, the two-year average annual loss of containers overboard was 3,113 units. That's four times the loss for the previous three years.
Thus, begins a thorough-going an article in San Diego's Claims Journal by Glenn Mathias, director of the Australia Maritime Consultancy and a former Merchant Marine ship captain in which he blames these accelerating losses on a cavalier attitude to the lack of seaworthiness as simply as another cost of doing business.
Captain Mathias focuses on container stack collapse, how it occurs, under what conditions, and who is responsible and what needed to arrest and reverse these rapidly increasing losses.
An initial problem, he says, is a frequent lack of compliance to the Cargo Securing Manual (CSM).
"Shore planners who prepare container loading plans do not possess sound practical knowledge of the application and content of the CSM; this has been noted by safety investigators following container stack collapses," Mr Mathias said.
Typically, the common violation of the CSM rule is the placing of lighter containers at the bottom of a stack and the heavier ones on top, thus shifting the centre of gravity higher in the vessel, a factor that can become critical if not lethal in rough weather.
"The accepted practice is that container loading plans are prepared by shore planners using computerised loading programmes and CSMs provided by shipowners," he said. "Shore planners are used because masters apparently do not have the time to prepare such plans."
Shipowners are required to know that the Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) places ultimate responsibility on masters, for the safe loading, stowing and securing of cargo/containers. In reality, masters receive loading plans perhaps a day, sometimes hours, before loading commences.
Thus shore planners, without knowledge or responsibility of the vessels stability, commonly breach CSM rules. This prevents masters, who are responsible for seaworthy stowage, but now overwhelmed by officially mandated tasks, from ensuring that loading complies with the rules. "Moreover, commercial pressures, precludes the majority of masters from requiring amendments to non-compliant loading plans," Capt Mathias said.
"The onus should be on the shore planners to deliver compliant and safe stowage plans," he said. Ships’ masters might be able to identify and rectify isolated cargo stowage plan issues, but it is impractical to expect them to address large scale problems due to the commercial impact such interventions would have."
Which brings up another problem - having the onus for safe stowage plans is contrary to a master’s responsibility under SOLAS.
Trouble is, times have changed since 1974 when International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) came into force. Containerisation was in its infancy, and what few containerships there were, were in the 500-TEU range, far removed from the 24,000-TEU Leviathans today. It is hard to think a captain properly responsible for cargo that is 40 times larger than it was when he was first expected to be responsible for its stowage.
To address this glaring fault, Capt Mathias said "shipowners should, as a matter of urgency, assemble a team of experts comprising P&I Clubs, class societies, hull and machinery underwriters, port authorities, stevedores and manufacturers of containers/lashing equipment, to design a system that secures container stacks as block units."
He went on to say that if stacks can be secured as block units, then a reasonable level of safety can be assured. But not if they are stacked too high with insufficient lashings.
The probability that a safer securing system would delay a vessel’s schedule would not be acceptable, noting that a number of containerships have been slow steaming, resulting in extended schedules, since 2008, he said.
"It is inexcusable that, despite the availability of expertise, construction materials, technologies and artificial intelligence, shipowners have not taken measures to design a safer container securing system, he said.
It seems clear that given the radical change in circumstances that has come to international shipping in the last half century, it is high time that SOLAS was updated. It seems unreasonable that a ship's master should carry a liability which often risks prison time, when there is so much beyond his control in deciding the seaworthiness of his ship before it sets sail. Not to mention the pressure from shipowners and managers who look on masters with disfavour if they delay departure, and Heaven forbid result in greater demurrage and terminal handling charges. |
