AGCS looks at 2012 ship losses

According to its Safety and Shipping Review of maritime losses, the Costa Concordia incident topped the list as the largest loss of 2012 at 114,137 gross tonnes, followed by the ferry, Rabaul Queen, both of which caused multiple fatalities.

The report showed that foundering was the most common cause of losses in the past year (49%) followed by wrecking or running aground (22%) and highlighted that most shipping accidents centred on the seas around South China, Indo China, Indonesia and the Philippines (30 losses).

Shipping losses also occurred more often in the East Mediterranean and the Black Sea (15 losses) or around Japan, Korea and North China (10 losses).

AGCS suggested that human error remains a root cause of most incidents, with fatigue, economic pressures and inadequate training being the main causes for concern.

The company expects self regulation initiatives and technological improvements such as the introduction of mandatory ECDIS in July 2012, to reduce accidents, but only if coupled with effective training and management oversight.

Dr Sven Gerhard, AGCS, said: “Technology is only as useful as the training behind it – and we don’t always see this human element keeping up with other advances. What we do see with the best shipowners is a proactive safety management culture, going beyond the minimum standards and running from top to bottom of the organisation. This can really make an impact in improving safety.”