"ALL FOR THE BEST"

Safety of life at sea, environmental protection, carbon emissions, accidents, and incidents are all terms that resonate with us in the maritime industry.

- Robert Vaz

With stringent laws and frequent inspections, most operators and ship staff ensure their vessels are charter-ready at all times and all the crews employed are duly qualified and experienced.

Indeed, times have changed, and inspection regimes have become more frequent, harmonious, and stringent. The managers do the best they can from their end by sending spares, stores, technical support, etc. On Ships, the ship staff do their bit to ensure PMS is carried out diligently, regular inspections are carried out, company procedures are followed, and all other documentation is updated. By and large, all of us do our best and expect the best. However, at times, things may not go as planned.

I still recall an incident on the vessel “Green Forest” (the name of the vessel changed). The vessel was port side alongside, cargo loading operations were in progress via an enclosed conveyor belt, and iron ore was being loaded in holds no 2 and no 4. Permission was also granted for bunkering, and simultaneous operations were in progress; all the relevant company procedures, checklists, and port permissions complied with. Both the loading operations and bunker operations were running smoothly, and operations were manned as required by the company’s safe manning matrix.