Today most people recognise that a high level of safety at sea pays off. Safety and profit go hand in hand, because a good safety culture is an essential prerequisite for customers to be offered secure transport. The road to today's situation, where safety at sea is controlled at all levels by a comprehensive international set of regulations, has been a long one however.
For hundreds of years, it was more or less accepted that seafarers were at the mercy of the weather’s unpredictability and the sea’s enormous forces. This fatalistic view gradually changed during the 1800s, when technical developments opened up the way to international sea trade and passenger transport between continents.
Coffin ships
In a rapidly expanding marine transport market at the end of the 19th century, cheap marine insurance became a competitive issue. By over-insuring their vessels, unscrupulous ship-owners could make a handsome profit if a ship and its cargo were lost. Sailors could always be replaced. The inducement for investing in marine safety was virtually non-existent. It was during this time that the expression “coffin ships” came into use.
The demise of the Titanic
The need for national and international cooperation to improve marine safety increased steadily during the 19th century. A decisive step towards international regulations for the safety of shipping was taken in 1857 with the introduction of an international signalling code. But it took a disaster for an effective international set of regulations to be established.
On the night of 14 April 1912, the liner Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. Two years later and as a direct result of the Titanic’s loss, the first international conference on marine safety was held in London. Thirteen countries signed the first set of regulations – Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS). In 1959, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) was established as a global forum for international marine safety.
The loss of the Herald of Free Enterprise
Inadequate safety regulation by the ship-owners came into focus for the international work on marine safety with the loss of the Herald of Free Enterprise in the English Channel in 1987. The subsequent inquiry revealed major shortcomings in the ship-owners’ safety and accident prevention routines. The strong reaction to the accident led to the establishment of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code, which regulates the ship-owners’ responsibility for forming an effective safety organization.
Future challenges
Over time, marine safety has changed and improved significantly. The idea that there is a clear link between good marine safety and profitability is now accepted. Boosting safety awareness among the ship’s crew is an important challenge for the future, because a vessel’s safety depends to a high degree on the crew's behaviour and reactions. |
