The UK Club routinely advises Members on the implications of proposed carriage of cargo on deck. The Club usually advises on both the contractual aspects, i.e. risk allocation under the Bills of Lading and Charterparties, as well as from a loss prevention/ or practical perspective. Carriage of cargo on deck exposes the cargo to a variety of extra risks from the elements, such as sea-spray and wind, as well as the potential risk of being washed off or falling overboard due to bad weather conditions or inadequate lashing/stabilising. Depending on the cargo, there may also be issues with the stability of the vessel itself, for example, the carriage of wing blades on top of hatch covers.
The UK P&I held its annual Loss prevention seminar for Members on the 3rd of May on a range of topics, including Bunker spills, enclosed space casualties and recent claims regarding damage to fish farms.
The loss prevention department aims to reduce Members' exposure to claims by raising awareness of risk. Co-ordinated by the Loss Prevention team is a dedicated team of Risk Assessors.
The UK Club's Loss Prevention department currently comprises 14 members of staff, including 8 Master Mariners and 2 Chief Engineers. Five of these Master Mariners and two Chief Engineers are based internationally and employed as "Risk Assessors" for the purposes of performing risk assessment type surveys on board Members' ships.
