Naval architects count the cost of ship design errors

 

 

International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) says recent claims experience demonstrates that naval architects need to be aware of the need to protect against their exposure to liability for damages resulting from errors in design work.   ITIC cites by way of example a case involving the operator of a passenger and ro-ro ferry service which appointed a naval architect to design a landing craft ferry. The design was to be based on that of an existing vessel operated by the company. Prior to beginning the design work, the parties entered into a design agreement under which the naval architect’s liability was limited to approximately $750,000.   Shortly after the vessel was launched, the operator noticed various issues relating to its performance, including vibration, lack of manoeuvrability and stopping capability. The vehicle loading ramp was also at an excessive angle in certain conditions, making the loading of vehicles difficult and, in some cases, impossible. The operators took the view that urgent rectification work was required so that improvements could be made before the approaching summer season.   The vessel was drydocked and third-party experts were engaged to provide a report detailing the extent of the problems and their potential causes. Based on the findings of the report, the operators brought a claim for $3.5m against the naval architect, alleging that the performance issues were attributable to design errors. The operators subsequently acknowledged that the naval architect’s liability was limited to $750,000.   ITIC appointed an expert naval architect to inspect the vessel and comment on the extent to which the apparent performance issues could be attributed to design errors. The expert found that the naval architect was at fault, but that the claimant had incurred significantly more costly and extensive rectification work than was necessary. ITIC entered into negotiations with the operators in order to resolve the matter, and the claim was settled for slightly less than the limit of liability under the contract.   In another case reported by ITIC, a naval architect entered into a contract with a shipyard to design the structure and access arrangements for new lifeboats and their davits to be fitted to a specific vessel. The naval architect undertook the design analysis, using data received from the manufacturer of the lifeboats, and produced design drawings.   It was understood that the yard was to seek classification society approval of these designs before starting the build work under the terms of the yard’s contract with the shipowner. However, due to time restraints and pressure from the shipowner, the yard decided to start building prior to obtaining class approval.   The lifeboat support structure was manufactured and installed by the yard according to the naval architect’s design. The yard subsequently noticed that the davits were flexing under operation, even without the lifeboats. An internal investigation within the naval architect’s office determined that an error had occurred whereby information provided by the lifeboat manufacturer had not been converted correctly by the naval architect’s computer program, with the result that the calculations were out by a factor of 1000. This error was not identified during the naval architect’s quality assurance process and, as a result, the structural platform, as designed and built, was not fit for purpose.   The yard raised a formal complaint advising the naval architect that the work on the davit support structure had to be rectified because of the error. A few months later it claimed that rectification had cost £347,254. ITIC assessed the claim and was also able to raise arguments that the contract terms excluded some components of the claim and that the yard should not have started construction before the classification society had approved the designs. A settlement was eventually agreed at £255,000.

ITIC is managed by Thomas Miller. More details about the club and the services it offers can be found on ITIC’s website at www.itic-insure.com

 

 

For more information:                             

Charlotte Kirk                                              

ITIC                                                               

Tel. +44 (0)20 7338 0150                          

Fax. +44 (0)20 7338 0151                         

charlotte.kirk@thomasmiller.com                       

 

Schat-Harding launches global multi-brand service

LEADING lifeboat manufacturer and service provider Schat-Harding has widened the range of its global service network to cover multi-brand servicing and the re-hooking of lifeboats. For the first time, shipowners and offshore operators will be able to get most of their lifeboats, hooks, winches and davits serviced by a trained engineer working to the highest global standards, backed by a global service network. They will also be able to use Schat-Harding’s range of modern hooks to replace older models which may no longer meet IMO standards in most boats.

Birger Grathen, CEO, Schat-Harding Service, says, “This is a major step forward for shipowners and offshore operators. They don’t have to risk using small and unauthorised lifeboat service and testing stations, or hooks from companies with no track record. Rather, they can now benefit from the same high standards as those already enjoyed by owners with Schat-Harding brand equipment. Our global network of service stations and partners is now authorised to service over 500 lifesaving products made by other Original Equipment Manufacturers, on top of all the products delivered by the fifteen major brands we own.”

Norwegian-headquartered international shipowner DOF, which owns and operates a large fleet of modern offshore and sub-sea vessels, is one of the first companies to take advantage of Schat-Harding’s multi-branding initiative. It has recently signed a 65-vessel Fleet Service Agreement with Schat-Harding. Marita Ottera, Head of Procurement at DOF Management AS, says, “The agreement with Schat-Harding will afford us good control with regard to the approved quality and safety of the equipment on our lifeboats, and a simplified follow-up procedure for lifeboat systems on board our ships. We are very happy to have Schat-Harding support the equipment on board our ships and to do the work in an efficient and cost-effective way.”

IMO SOLAS regulations require a strict and regular service and testing routine for life- saving appliances, and new requirements have recently been put in place to test all lifeboat hooks and bring them up to new standards.

“The best way to get equipment serviced or updated is to use the people who design and build lifeboats, winches, davits and hooks, and who have the trained people to do the job properly,” says Birger Grathen. “That is why we built up the world’s biggest global service network and have invested heavily in training and in our SHIELD database. We want to give lifetime support to the owners who have our equipment. But most shipping and offshore companies have mixed fleets of vessels with a mix of lifeboat equipment from different manufacturers. It is much easier and cheaper if they can use one company to service and upgrade all the equipment. Owners are also now facing a one-off challenge of having to test all the lifeboat hooks to see if they comply with retrospective IMO standards, and to replace hooks where necessary. That will be a big task, again made more cost-effective by using one supplier for the whole job.

“That is why Schat-Harding is seeking a wide range of approvals and access to original manuals and spares. It has also trained its engineers and put in place quality control criteria to ensure that they can safely service equipment from most manufacturers, and install our SeaCure hooks into most boats, while maintaining the global high standards which currently apply to Schat-Harding brands.”

To download hi res photos of Birger Grathen and Schat-Harding service engineers at work click on: http://bit.ly/sCR30i or e mail chris@merlinco.com


Schat-Harding is the world’s leading supplier of lifeboat and evacuation systems for the offshore, cruise and shipping industries. With factories and offices in Norway, the UK, the Netherlands, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Panama, Singapore, Spain, Canada, the Czech Republic, the USA and China, and agents or service partners in thirty other countries, Schat-Harding provides a global service and supply network. Brands now owned by Schat-Harding include Watercraft, Viking Marine, Waterman, Fiskars, Davit-Company, MASECO, Watercraft America, William Mills Marine, Schat, Harding, Mulder & Rijke and the Beiyang Boatbuilding Co. www.schat-harding.com

For more information:

David Torres
VP Sales
+47 902 82 987
USH Service
david.torres@schat-harding.com

Jennifer Manning
Marketing Manager
USH Service
+47 45 86 74 47
jennifer.manning@schat-harding.com

Schat-Harding develops Secondary Safety Systems for IMO-compliant hooks

Leading lifeboat manufacturer and service provider Schat-Harding has completed all tests required by IMO to ensure that its SeaCure lifeboat release and retrieval systems (the new name for hooks) meet the new IMO guidelines for existing and new lifeboats. And reacting to industry requests Schat-Harding has also developed a Secondary Safety System (SSS) for the SeaCure hook. Although not required by IMO guidelines or SOLAS regulations, the SSS is recommended by many shipping industry groups,

Birger Grathen, CEO, Schat-Harding Service, says, “IMO has issued mandatory guidelines for lifeboat release and retrieval systems under MSC.1/Circ.1392. These are unusual because they are retrospective and require owners to test and in some cases replace existing equipment. Manufacturers have also had to apply rigid new tests to all their equipment. The rules apply to new boats from 1 July 2014, but there are also tests to be applied to existing hooks, and these will have to be upgraded at the first dry-dock after 1 July 2014 if they do not meet the set standards.

“However, IMO’s guidelines do not call for a Secondary Safety System. We are happy to announce that our SeaCure lifeboat release and retrieval systems meet or exceed all the IMO standards, have passed all relevant tests and are now available for shipowners to refit to existing conventional lifeboats. And we have worked with industry groups and our customers to develop a simple but safe optional Secondary Safety System for the SeaCure range. The hook and the SSS meet all industry needs, are approved by flag state and class, are available now, and are backed by our global service network, which is ready to advise owners, assess existing equipment and to fit the new equipment if required.”

All shipowners are obliged to arrange an evaluation of existing on-load hooks on their vessels. Hooks which don’t meet the new standards need to be replaced no later than the next scheduled dry-dock after the 1st July, 2014, and no later than the 1st July, 2019. If found to be compliant then an overhaul examination should be executed no later than the next scheduled dry-dock after the 1st July, 2014. The one-time follow-up overhaul examination by the manufacturer or authorised representative should be in accordance with MSC.1/Circ.1206Rev1.

Says Grathen, “The new IMO requirements are complex, and are unusual in that they are retrospective. But we are convinced they will make lifeboat release and retrieval systems safer to use, and we are committed to helping shipowners to improve safety at sea. We have been doing that since 1928, and we are right at the forefront of safety with this new equipment, but more than that, we are leading with our global network and our willingness to help owners. There are literally hundreds of types of lifeboat on-load hook system in service, there are thousands of lifeboats which need upgrading, and owners need help to understand and implement the rules. I urge them to ask us, we will help, we want to help, we want seafarers to feel confident that their lifeboats are safe.”

Over 100 shipowners have already re-hooked their lifeboats using Schat-Harding service engineers and hooks. Grathen says, “We have the trained and authorised engineers and we have the equipment, but we do urge owners to come forward as soon as possible to evaluate their equipment and needs. Firstly because that way it is safer for their crews, who get the new standards in place quicker, and secondly because they could face business interruption if they leave this until the last minute rush to comply by the due date. These SeaCure hooks can be retrofitted to most types of boat now in service, not just Schat-Harding boats, so we can offer all owners and seafarers the safety of the new IMO-compliant hooks and the security of an engineering team who can assess any hooks now in service and fit the new equipment safely and without service interruption.”

To download hi res photos of Schat-Harding SeaCure hooks and Birger Grathen click on: http://bit.ly/sg23wi
or e mail john@merlinco.com


• Schat-Harding is the world’s leading supplier of lifeboat and evacuation systems for the offshore, cruise and shipping industries. With factories and offices in Norway, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Panama, Singapore, Spain, Canada, the Czech Republic, the USA and China, and agents or service partners in thirty other countries, Schat-Harding provides a global service and supply network. Brands now owned by Schat-Harding include Watercraft, Viking Marine, Waterman, Fiskars, Davit-Company, MASECO, Watercraft America, William Mills Marine, Schat, Harding, Mulder & Rijke and the Beiyang Boatbuilding Co. www.schat-harding.com


For more information:

David Torres
VP Sales
USH Service
+47 902 82 987
david.torres@schat-harding.com

Jennifer Manning
Marketing Manager
USH Service
+47 45 86 74 47
jennifer.manning@schat-harding.com

Schat-Harding sees shipowners select secure service

Leading lifeboat manufacturer and service provider Schat-Harding says more shipowners are opting to enter into long-term service agreements in order to ensure priority service for the lifeboats, davits and hooks on their vessels.

David Torres, vice-president sales, Schat-Harding Service, says, “We see a welcome trend away from ad hoc servicing of key lifesaving equipment and a move towards long-term Fleet Service Agreements. With world trade growing, shipowners cannot afford delays or detentions related to Life Saving Appliances.

"In addition, it reflects a growing recognition by owners that they want to keep lifesaving equipment in good order and ready to go by a company that really services their equipment, and also that our capability to deliver a consistent global service has grown considerably.

“In the last few months alone, five important shipowners from around the globe have chosen Schat-Harding to provide long-term fleet support for their lifeboats, davits and winches. With over sixty vessels between them, the shipowners have recognised the benefits of a Fleet Service Agreement, which ensures that their lifesaving appliances are always in good order, that spares are readily available and costs are clear and competitive.”

A major Hong-Kong-based shipmanager has entered a five-year agreement covering 24 ships. Most of the 5-year inspections will be performed in China by Schat-Harding’s China offices, but annual inspections will be carried out by Schat-Harding’s global network.

In the USA, a tanker operator has entrusted the care of the LSA for its eight oil and chemical tankers to Schat-Harding. This is the first FSA to be taken up by a US merchant company, and it is significant that all the vessels operate under the US flag.

In Europe, three key new agreements include twenty-three tankers managed from Portugal on behalf of a US owner, a Dutch seismic vessel fleet and the leading Mediterranean cruise ferry fleet.

These FSAs demonstrate that shipowners recognise the benefits of planned servicing and pricing, by a company that truly understands the equipment that needs to be serviced, and the ease of having one point of contact for all their FSA service needs, wherever their ships may be trading.

“Schat-Harding’s global network has shown how it can work together seamlessly to provide global owners with the support they need at sensible costs,” says Torres. “Owners owe it to seafarers to ensure that their equipment is safe, and it cannot be safe if serviced by ad-hoc service companies with little to no experience of the equipment they touch and who do not even bother to use original spares, putting themselves and the crew in danger. FSAs give owners and seafarers safety and good service at a sensible cost.”

To download hi res photos of Schat-Harding service engineers at work click on: http://picasaweb.google.com/Merlinclients/SchatHardingor e mail john@merlinco.com

Schat-Harding is the world’s leading supplier of lifeboat and evacuation systems for the offshore, cruise and shipping industries. With factories and offices in Norway, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Panama, Singapore, Spain, Canada, the Czech Republic, the USA and China, and agents or service partners in thirty other countries, Schat-Harding provides a global service and supply network. Brands now owned by Schat-Harding include Watercraft, Viking Marine, Waterman, Fiskars, Davit-Company, MASECO, Watercraft America, William Mills Marine, Schat, Harding, Mulder & Rijke and the Beiyang Boatbuilding Co. www.schat-harding.com

For more information: David Torres VP Sales +47 902 82 987 USH Service david.torres@schat-harding.com

Jennifer Manning Marketing Manager USH Service +47 45 86 74 47 jennifer.manning@schat-harding.com

Schat-Harding calls for consensus on lifeboat hooks

Leading lifeboat manufacturer and service provider Schat-Harding says IMO and some parts of the shipping industry need to move more quickly to a consensus on vital lifeboat safety issues which have important consequences for the safety of seafarers.

David Bradley, vice president operations, Schat-Harding Service says, “Good things are worth waiting for. But there is such a thing as waiting too long. The IMO debate over lifeboat hooks has gone on for too long. Seafarers deserve better. They deserve clear standards for lifeboat hooks and a clear timetable for replacing those which don’t meet the new standards. That will ensure their safety and renew their confidence in their boats. A lack of agreement at IMO by some industry bodies and flag states has pushed back consensus on this vital topic, and it could be two years or more before we have a properly agreed amendment to SOLAS for lifeboat hooks.”

According to Bradley there is a broad consensus that the current standards set by IMO for on-load release hooks have failed seafarers. “It is time for a new generation of hooks, and the fact is that hooks are available which meet all the proposed regulatory requirements,” says Bradley. “But shipyards won’t specify them and owners will not rush to replace existing hooks while they still meet regulations, despite the well-known risks to seafarers. Draft guidelines to ensure that on-load release mechanisms for lifeboats are replaced by those complying with new, stricter safety standards under SOLAS were discussed in February 2010 by the IMO Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment (DE 53). But no agreement was reached. Similarly, no consensus was achieved at the 87th session of the Maritime Safety Committee in May 2010. There are good draft standards on the table but no consensus to turn them into regulations and the issue has again been referred back for further work to the IMO subcommittee on ship design and equipment. This will take place in March this year, and the findings taken in May 2011 to the 89th session of the MSC. That is unlikely to be the end of the story unless we see a move towards consensus by all parties. We hope that following the MSC 89 meeting in May we will have guidelines in place which will provide some clarity and consistency going forward. And we hope that the date now set as a target for introducing new SOLAS standards, 1st July, 2014, can be brought forward in the interests of safety.”

Schat-Harding’s new range of SeaCure on-load release hooks are the safest product of their kind on the market and are fully compliant with all proposed revisions to SOLAS. But too many seafarers will be denied the safer hook until agreement is reached at IMO.

“Safety-conscious owners are re-hooking their boats now and getting ahead of the game, and so are cost-conscious owners who do not want to be caught in a regulation-driven rush to rehook,” says Bradley “Shipowners have already turned to Schat-Harding to retrofit over 130 new hook sets in the last six months. Whatever the delays at IMO, Schat-Harding is there alongside owners and seafarers, helping them to meet and exceed industry safety standards at all times. But we are just one manufacturer and the shipping industry as a whole needs a consensus to put seafarers’ safety first and get new standards in place.”


To download a hi res strong photo of the SeaCure being installed click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Merlinclients/SchatHarding

or e mail john@merlinco.com


Schat-Harding is the world’s leading supplier of lifeboat and evacuation systems for the offshore, cruise and shipping industries. With factories and offices in Norway, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Panama, Singapore, Spain, Canada, the Czech Republic, the USA and China, and agents or service partners in thirty other countries, Schat-Harding provides a global service and supply network. Brands now owned by Schat-Harding include Watercraft, Viking Marine, Waterman, Fiskars, Davit-Company, MASECO, Watercraft America, William Mills Marine, Schat, Harding, Mulder & Rijke and the Beiyang Boatbuilding Co. www.schat-harding.com


For more information:

David Bradley
VP Operations
USH Service
+44 (0) 2392 581331
david.bradley@schat-harding.com

Jennifer Manning
Marketing Manager
USH Service
+47 45 86 74 47
jennifer.manning@schat-harding.com