Iumi wants more fire resistance
Iumi (the International Union of Marine Insurance) recently raised its voice saying that this year has already seen an alarming number of containership fires, including the “Yantian Express”, the “APL Vancouver”, the “Grande America”, the “E.R. Kobe” and the “KMTC Hong Kong”. This escalation is of growing concern.
Helle Hammer, chair of Iumi's policy forum, was explicit in her criticism: "Fire-fighting capabilities on board containerships are deficient and we need to see more headway to improve the safety of crews, the environment, the cargo and the ships themselves. Misdeclaration and non-declaration of cargo have serious safety implications and are the root cause behind these tragic incidents. There is agreement among experts that the current means of controlling a fire in the cargo hold are of little effect. The safety objectives set out in Solas do not seem to be met, and in light of the various recent casualties, the time for action is now."
Iumi, in partnership with the German flag state, is calling for additional support from flag administrations and other stakeholders to bring this issue to the IMO's agenda in 2020. (fd)
www.iumi.com/opinions/position-papers