According to Norwegian marine insurer Gard, infrastructure plays a major role when it comes to collisions and groundings around the world. “If you sail in Asia, there’s a lower risk that something will go wrong,” says CEO Rolf Thore Roppestad in an interview with WPO.
Infrastructure plays a large role in terms of the places in the world where ships see the most groundings and collisions, says Gard Chief Executive Rolf Thore Roppestad.
The Norwegian marine insurance firm has spent time and resources on mapping the risk of incidents in all parts of the world, with collisions and groundings making up the biggest risk factors for major incidents and high damage claims.
“We’re seeing a clear pattern. In the parts of the world with new infrastructure and good traffic monitoring systems in place, there is generally a lower frequency of collisions and groundings. In short, if you’re sailing in Asia, there’s a lower risk of something going wrong than anywhere else in the world,” the CEO tells WPO.
Competitor Skuld notes that there have been several collisions, and back in February, CEO Ståle Hansen told WPO that the company had seen a lot of major damage.
When WPO paid a visit to Skuld in Oslo in late October, Hansen said that the increased pressure suffered by container shipping lines has also increased the amount of collisions.
Data, monitoring and infrastructure
Roppestad says that Gard has spent a lot of time and resources analyzing incident statistics on recent years. The company has paid particular attention to geography.
According to Gard, the results show clear indications that sailing in Asia is the most safe. This is probably due to both technology and infrastructure, the CEO says.
[Asian ports] have relatively modern ports, a little more room and ports that are more adapted to ships of the size that are sailing today. In both Europe and the US, much of the infrastructure is a little older
ROLF THORE ROPPESTAD, CEO, GARD
“They have relatively modern ports, a little more room and ports that are more adapted to ships of the size that are sailing today. In both Europe and the US, much of the infrastructure is a little older,” Roppestad says, adding:
“It was built at a time when ships were smaller, and we’re trying to dock larger ships at the same ports that were built for smaller vessels. And that’s something that presumably affects the risk.”
According to Gard’s figures, 1 in 14 ships report a navigation-related incident per year. These incidents may cost anywhere from nothing to several hundred million US dollars. On average, costs amount to USD 300,000 per claim.
In the Dover Strait English Channel area, Gard says there have been reports of 232 incidents, while Singapore and the Malacca Strait have only seen 66 incidents, the numbers reveal.
Photo: Gard
Gard presents the figures to its members and others. Data on geography and sailing patterns are important, Roppestad explains.
“Good systems for traffic monitoring, good infrastructure, how much each country invests in its ports – all this has an impact on the risk of incidents and damage. It’s important knowledge to share, which is why we have taken an active approach in presenting it these past few months,” he says.
