Risk Management

The UK P&I Club is committed to safety. Its high-level loss prevention programme – the most extensive in the industry – aims to offset rising claims and maintain quality amongst Members.

Loss prevention has been a core service provided to our Members for at least five decades.

The first bi-annual edition of “Carefully to Carry” the Club’s advice on the safe stowage and carriage of cargo was published in the autumn of 1961.   This publication continues today as one of the many resources available on the Loss Prevention section of this website.

The dramatic increase in seaborne trade and the innovation of new cargoes and new methods of carriage has created a corresponding volume and diversity of risk which the Loss Prevention website addresses.  The carriage of liquefied natural gas and hazardous cargo in containers are two such risks which have been the subject of study and report to Members.  

A full-time loss prevention team researches other issues providing technical and operational advice to Members. They focus on avoiding incidents and the corresponding financial, and possibly human loss that can occur.  “No Room for Error” is a DVD based training aid to help identify latent failure in operational systems that can lead to considerable loss.  Technical Bulletins cover simpler practical issues such as hazards of free-fall lifeboats and other emergency equipment, oily water separators,

Much of the information is derived from the expertise and daily experiences of the Club’s ship inspectors.   The “Good/Bad Practice” posters give snappy illustrations of potential hazards they have observed on board ships and how they can be avoided.  Members who have received an inspection visit can benchmark how their ships performed against others of that type in the Club.

Topical information is supplied in the form of a weekly Loss Prevention Bulletin.   They report the latest news arising on issues such as Port State Control, container security, stowaways, illegal exports and other localised cargo problems.

Access to the detailed technical information requires Members to obtain password protected access.  Simply register in the Members Area to obtain this information in addition to the other online services provided by the Club.  Alternatively, you might just want to browse some useful ideas.