Maritime safety and security top of agenda for IUMI

Chairing the Policy Forum Workshop at this week’s International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) 150^th annual conference in Berlin (Germany), Neil Roberts (IUMI Policy Forum Chair and Head of Marine and Aviation at Lloyd’s Market Association) affirmed that maritime safety and security remained at the top of IUMI’s agenda.

He gave an update on marine insurance implications related to the Red Sea, saying:

“In the Red Sea, the international naval intervention helps provide insurers with the confidence to continue supporting trade as appropriate. However, vessels are still being regularly attacked and IUMI has been able to engage in constructive dialogue with EU Aspides on specific mitigation measures and to share the main learnings with our members. The complications brought by sanctions are a challenge to all in the maritime sector and it is important for insurers to keep an open dialogue with government bodies to try to avoid unintended consequences where there are losses of assets – and tragically seafarers - at sea.”

(Aspides, is the EU military operation established to respond to Houthi engagements with international shipping in the Red Sea)

He went on to outline some of IUMI’s ongoing work with IMO, specifically on vessel safety:

During 2024, IUMI has been widening its work with IMO and has been actively involved in a number of IMO working groups with a strong focus on ship safety.

It has long been known that growing container carrying capacity has been outpacing mitigation measures and there have been multiple instances of ships having insufficient fire-fighting capacity. With ship fires still trending up, IUMI is supporting improved fire detection and a change to SOLAS so that fixed water monitors will be a mandatory requirement for new builds. This would be a material step forward in improved fire protection on future containerships since, currently, firefighting efforts are confined to portable water monitors and mist lances.

Container stacking and lashing are at the root of continuing losses of containers overboard and industry co-operation and regulatory changes will be needed as solutions are sought. As a practical illustration of that, IUMI is only able to participate in the TopTier Joint Industry Project thanks to the assistance of the German Insurance Association (GDV). TopTier is developing several recommendations to address the complex root causes of containers lost overboard which will be discussed at the IMO Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers.