A coalition of industry companies aimed at improving the safety of the shipping industry and helping protect seafarers has unveiled its ambition of a zero incident future.
“Together in safety”, which was set up in 2019, is a project launched and now spearheaded by Shell shipping and maritime vice president Grahaeme Henderson.
The body said its vision is to work together towards a zero incident future.
It is launching its first set of programmes which detail best practice examples in leadership behaviours, learning, mental health and wellbeing, and safety rules and is opening these up on its new website.
These include the nine golden safety rules that focus on the work areas known to have a significant impact on safety in the shipping industry.
"Together in safety" says it will add to these and produce a common database for safety this year.
The grouping ran its first workshop in Athens last year and intends to provide more of these to focus on practical actions.
Henderson first floated the idea of a safety coalition at the Global Maritime Forum Annual Summit in 2018.
The non-regulatory grouping now includes shipowners such as AP Moller-Maersk, Euronav, GasLog, Carnival, MSC Group and Shell Shipping & Maritime, along with other industry bodies, protection and indemnity clubs and classification societies.
“For the first time, all sectors from across the shipping industry have come together with a common purpose to make a step change in safety performance,” the group said in a statement.
“Shipping has one of the worst safety performances of any industry worldwide,” it added, quoting a UK study which details that being on a ship exposes personnel to 20 times the risk of a serious injury or fatality than an average worker or five times that of someone in construction.
It blamed the fragmented nature of the shipping industry for creating barriers to shared learning across sectors which may improve safety.
Henderson urged everyone in the shipping industry to show a personal commitment to improving safety and said the coalition provides the opportunity to make a dramatic improvement in the safety performance.
“We have been using many of the ‘Together in Safety’ programmes in our managed fleet with excellent results,” he said. They are easily accessible, free to use and proven to work.
“I want to encourage every shipping company, owner and manager, to be part of ‘Together in Safety’. As leaders of the global shipping industry, we have the power to make the changes, and ensure that every seafarer goes home safely to their families and friends.”
