With the responsibility of handling nearly 90% of world trade, the shipping industry is the lifeblood of the global economy. Without the functioning of the shipping industry, international trade, the bulk transport of underdone supplies, and the import/export of reasonable and manufactured goods would be really hard.
Ships are highly sophisticated, high-worth assets (for example, big-size advanced vessels can cost over USD 200 million to build), and the operation of merchant ships generates an estimated annual income of over half a trillion US Dollars in freight rates.
Since ships move day and night to ensure seamless business operation, they get exposed to different types of threats. One of them is a marine accident. Maritime accidents can be defined as unfortunate incidents that tend to cause substantial damage to the ships and deeply impact the marine ecosystem. There could be numerous factors behind the emergence of such incidents including technical failures and shipping factors. Several external factors like route conditions, human errors, and adverse weather, can cause such accidents.
Types of Shipping Accidents:
Equipment-related Accidents
Equipment-related accidents are among the most prevalent in the marine sector. Equipment used on and near ships, from massive container cranes to trawling winches to forklifts, can cause major injury if not utilized appropriately, maintained, and repaired when broken. Miscommunication among workers is another important cause of equipment mishaps.
Training-related Accidents
Accidents are likely to occur when people are not appropriately trained to conduct their duties, regardless of the type of equipment utilized. Improper training may result in the misuse of the equipment by a worker, failing to communicate effectively with another worker, or failing to use safety equipment to save someone's life.
Commercial Fishing Mishaps
Commercial fishing is known to carry the utmost risk among all nautical vocations. A large number of people get wounded or deceased on the job in this industry than in any other. Long, arduous hours onboard tiny vessels in choppy waters and terrible weather mean that falls overboard, equipment faults, exposure to the elements, and fatigue-related mishaps are all too prevalent.
Onshore Mishaps
Port and dock employees are vulnerable to the hazards of maritime labor. Although they do not work on ships at sea, they are exposed to several hazards on the job. Accidents involving equipment, particularly cranes that lift goods and vehicles and forklifts that transport it, are a major cause of injury in seaports.
Factors causing Marine Accidents:
Here are some more factors and marine accidents that you should know about.
Collisions
There could be numerous reasons behind shipping collisions like equipment malfunctioning, human negligence, and sometimes poor infrastructure. Some of the commonly known collisions are sided collisions, stern collisions, allisions, and bow-on collisions. Collusions pose a significant risk to the lives of crew members and the structural integrity of the ship. They can also cause oil spillage into the ocean.
Oil Spills
Another commonly found marine accident is oil spillage. You might have heard about them in news. Now, when it comes to cleaning an oil spill, the major factors to be considered as the type of oil, water temperature, and its nearness to the living areas.
There are different approaches that can be taken to clean an oil spill by ship maintenance companies. Some of them are given below:
Oil spill bioremediation involves the use of microorganisms known as biological agents to break down the oil.
Controlled burning can limit the amount of oil in the water by igniting it when there is less breeze on the ocean. However, it pollutes the air and must be done appropriately.
Dispersants - These prevent clumping and settling by dispersing numerous different oils from the surface.
Skimming – During this process, vessels are dispatched to the oil spill location to collect the oil present on the ocean’s surface. However, it can only be done if the water is calm.
Weather
As oceans warm and cool more slowly than the land weather which means ocean weather tends to be more unstable than the atmosphere. These sudden changes in weather could cause maritime accidents which result in heavy damage.
The Conclusion
Though shipping companies take extreme care to avoid shipping accidents, they take place often. This is where various ship maintenance companies play a pivotal role in keeping the trade continual. From helping a ship agent at various ports to providing ship repair services, these companies have a major say in keeping ocean trade on.
If you’re looking for a company that offers ship management in Indonesia, then look no further than Usda Seroja Jaya. With the best ship agents, we understand what kind of ship, accessories, technical specifications are required to run ships carrying certain products effectively and efficiently.