The Thomas Miller Japan P&I team has authored a selection of P&I focused articles covering a range of current issues which are impacting the Japanese regions.
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Loading grains in the Pacific Northwest can be a real test of patience. For shipowners not familiar with the Pacific Northwest, where it rains approximately 150 to 180 days per year, with rainfall totals averaging 40 inches per year, it is important to maximise loading during periods of light rain and to prevent vessel delays while avoiding moisture damage to the cargo during periods of moderate to heavy rain.
Founded in 1543, Santos has been long known as a port city –first through the export of coffee and then other commodities. Santos was significantly modernised and expanded in the 1990s to incorporate new technologies, operating with specialised terminals for containers, general cargo, and dry and liquid bulk, and it is responsible for almost 27% of the country’s trade. Santos is considered the largest port in Latin America, with its docks being 25 km long and able to accommodate about 50 ships at a time.
With cargo’s newfound ability to go well beyond the vessel and even the port, container lines face new liabilities. The intermodal capability means that containers transit on public highways and railroads, areas traditionally excluded from P&I cover. This new type of risk has given rise to the Through Transport Club (‘TT Club’), a specialised transport and logistics mutual covering risks complementing P&I cover. Both covers dovetail with one another through corresponding cover and exclusions during ocean transit.
An oil spill is an ‘all hands-on deck!’ moment, inviting everyone from insurers, charterers, owners, the U.S. Coast Guard, local and state authorities, property, and ecological interests, and more to get involved. Tying all these parties together is the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (‘OPA’).
On 24 March, the UK P&I Club Japan branch hosted a hybrid loss prevention seminar on the theme of 'Management Responsibility in Marine Casualties' at Tokyo Port City Takeshiba to approximately 200 attendees both online and in person.
Incidents during lifting operations show a pattern of repeating events, with the UK Club’s work on Incident Prevention showing that an appalling number of these incidents result in life-changing injuries and tragic loss of life
In February, a shipwreck off Calabria, Italy, claimed at least 72 lives, adding to the tragic toll of people who perished in the sea whilst taking dangerous journeys to Europe
Under the direction of a pilot, a containership (about 40,000GT) departed port B on a course for port A, which was a voyage of about two hours. While docking at port A, the master believed the vessel’s speed was excessive and had doubts about the pilot’s operation of the vessel. As a result, the master took the con. However, a sudden reduction in speed and a strong wind made it impossible to control the vessel’s attitude and the vessel collided with a gantry crane on the wharf. This accident damaged the ship’s bow, the wharf and gantry crane but there were no deaths or injuries.
