positive trend in maritime safety and sensors are just one example of technology that can help to detect problems before they escalate. This may become especially relevant for fires involving lithium-ion batteries. Digital twins can also run simulations to assist with early intervention and AI is already being trialled to support decision making onboard. Another example is the geo-tagging of bulk carriers heading for hot spots known for misdeclaration of bulk cargoes prone to liquify. Proactively helping owners to manage the risks can save lives, prevent environmental damage and protect valuable assets.
As always with new technology, the caveat is that tensions between humans and machines can bring new challenges, but overall, it seems safe to say that technology will help to improve safety and reduce the risk of accidents at sea.
Climate change and green transition
Looking ahead, we should expect more claims related to extreme weather. Many insured assets are either stationary or can only be moved out of extreme weather paths if sufficient, reliable pre-warning is provided. Improved voyage planning to cater for weather risks will be expected, given improved availability of forecast weather data.
Decarbonization and the ongoing shift towards cleaner fuels will accelerate and likewise the need to understand risks associated with
this transition, e.g., toxicity, fire, pollution, and contractual or legal disputes. Crew will need upskilling, and the same goes for repair yards. Fewer qualified yards and workers, and longer delivery time for spares, may cause extended time of repairs. Casualty handling aspects, ranging from salvage, place of refuge and pollution clean-up, will need to adapt to the properties and risks of the fuels concerned.
Gard is working every day to prepare for these changes. Our partnership and collaboration with the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) in Singapore and the Mærsk Mc- Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping in Denmark, helps to get pioneer knowledge and understanding to support our members and clients in their transition.
More focus on seafarers
International trade relies on sufficient and competent seafarers. Crew safety and wellbeing is crucial in its own right and will also serve to mitigate risks of ship operations. Hence, supporting shipowners in improving crew safety and wellbeing should be a very high priority for marine insurers. Covid brought the challenges of seafarers into broad daylight, including mental health issues. While the pandemic has largely receded, many seafarers continue to face challenging conditions.
Of course, working and living on board ships can never be risk-free.
Still, it is a laudable objective to work with shipowners to mitigate risks such that one day there will have been a month or even a year without a seafarer losing his or her life on board ships insured with us.
The human rights of seafarers need to be universally strengthened. The 288 days that the 26 crew members of the HEROIC IDUN were detained in Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria serves as a stark reminder of how seafarers can be caught in the crossfire between governments and trade issues beyond their control. The recent attacks on ships in the Red and Black Seas are also examples of innocent crew members being harmed by military conflict.
This short article has touched on a wide range of issues that we have to focus and work on in our industry. And as conflict and regionalization seems to be gaining ground, the role of cross-industry collaboration, whether in the International Group of P&I Clubs (IG) or the International Union of Marine Insurers (IUMI), becomes even more important. The same goes for the UN and the International Maritime Organization. We need properly governed arenas where states, regardless of their other differences, can develop and agree on the legal frameworks needed to address challenges that transcend national and regional boundaries. Whether the purpose is to prevent and mitigate harmful incidents, ensure fair and predictable compensation, combat climate change, or protect the rights and interests of seafarers – on whom we all depend.
82 | ISSUE 107 | MAR 2024 | THE REPORT
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