Loss Prevention Department News

Boriana Farrar is a familiar face in maritime circles, the Vice President and Counsel and a Senior Claims Executive and Business Development Director for the Americas at the Ship Owners Claims Bureau, Inc. managers of the American P&I Club. We met with her in her NYC office to discuss her path from her native Bulgaria to a top maritime professional position.When Boriana Farrar moved from her native Bulgaria to the United States in 2001, she did so to be close to family, her mother and her sister who had already established a life in the U.S., some 5,000 miles from her homeland.

UK P&I Club, a provider of P&I insurance and other services to the international shipping community, has launched Risk Ahoy, a new gaming app that highlights in an engaging and interactive manner the hazards face by those on board ships on a daily basis. Risk Ahoy has been developed by the loss prevention department of UK P&I Club, is available on iTunes and Google Playstore, and has been intuitively designed to allow users to dip in and out of the action, with short, medium and long modes available. Players navigate their ship through 38 colorful levels of increasingly challenging difficulty, working their way through the various mini-games, while identifying and avoiding common onboard hazards.

The UK P&I Club’s Loss Prevention Department, in conjunction with the IMCS Training Academy, advises on the importance of hatch cover maintenance: “Whether a ship’s hatch covers are weathertight is a seemingly simple question that should have a “Yes” or “No” answer. However, coming to the right conclusion is not as easy as may initially be assumed, requiring an understanding of hatch covers, their operation and industry requirements. “Ensuring hatch covers are well maintained…

The North P&I club has warned its members to check their new ships very carefully before accepting delivery. The club said in the latest issue of its loss prevention newsletter Signals that it has become aware of several of instances of potentially dangerous poor construction in the newbuilding market. The club reports that ships are being delivered with cargo hold access ladders, platforms and their cages constructed and secured to the bulkheads only by tack welds, rather than being fully welded. “When subject to a load or any other applied stress, such as vessel movement, the tack welds have failed and resulted in an unsafe access to and from the cargo hold. In addition to accidents North warns that defects can also result in costly delays and port state control problems.

The Managers have recently completed production work on the Club’s latest Loss Prevention DVD  -“ Groundings – Shallow Waters, Deep Trouble”. The consequences of a vessel running aground vary in severity, but they are potentially devastating. In those instances where the vessel becomes a constructive total loss, environmental damage arises or is threatened, and there is a requirement to remove the wreck, the resulting liabilities can be enormous. In many countries the cost of wreck removal is not constrained by limitation…

The Club advises of US PSC detentions of vessels where water mist systems have been found disabled or otherwise left in an inoperable condition. The detentions follow inspections by Port State Control (PSC) where the system water supply valve has been found in the “closed” position, deeming the system 'not readily available for immediate use' in the event of an Engine Room fire. This valve is often closed to prevent accidental operation during maintenance and not returned to the open position once maintenance is completed. It is advised that the regular checks of the Water Mist System are carried out to ensure proper valve alignment. In addition, it is advised that proper labeling and procedures are established to ensure that the valve is not overlooked and accidently left closed.

Braemar (Incorporating The Salvage Association), announces important new additions to its worldwide team of marine surveyors and consultants, as well as the opening of two new locations. In the New York office, John Walker will be joining Braemar SA as Chief Surveyor, P&I and Legal Services Manager for the Americas, bringing with him experience in marine consultancy at a senior level. Also new to the New York office is Luca Bruga, a naval architect, who will be joining as a Staff Surveyor.

The North of England P&I club has warned its members to keep a closer watch on draught surveys to avoid costly cargo shortage claims. According to Tony Baker, head of North of England’s loss-prevention department, ‘We have recently witnessed a number of incidents where draught surveys have been manipulated to show short delivery of bulk cargoes. In the latest issue of its loss-prevention newsletter Signals, the club says masters in some regions are being asked to stamp and sign initial draught figures in such a way that allows a third party to falsify final draught results. ‘Subsequent allegations of shortage are then difficult to defend as they are supported by a signed and stamped draught survey…

The London P&I Club has reported that its level of claims for the 2003/4 year of account was down by fourteen per cent on the previous year. And it says its ongoing vessel inspection programme, which sees roughly half its entered fleet inspected each year, has helped produce this marked improvement. John M Lyras, Chairman of the London Club, says, “Claims for the 2003/4 policy year are running at a lower level than at any time during the last twenty years, a fact that I believe is a reflection of the selectivity of our underwriting”. He adds that such selectivity results in part from tactical decisions based on the Club’s ship inspection programme and other means of assessing members.