Club warns of trawler refrigeration risks
Both North and Shipowners’ are liability insurers to the global fishing industry.
Causal factors identified include fishing crews being unaware of the hazards of fluorocarbon and ammonia gas refrigerants; poor condition of the refrigeration plant; poor standards of operation and maintenance; and the positioning of unprotected refrigeration plant and equipment on the back deck or in busy working areas, with insufficient warning signage and impact protection.
In addition there have been failures to identify high risk tasks; insufficient or inadequate levels of formal training in refrigeration engineering and plant-specific operation; and defective or missing gas-leak detection alarms.
Craig McBurnie, underwriting manager at Sunderland Marine, which merged with North in 2014, said: “Rescue operations were sometimes carried out without using breathing apparatus or without following a safe procedure.”
“There was also evidence of poor emergency and evacuation procedures; a lack of crew familiarity in what to do in such an event; and improperly inspected and tested safety equipment,” he added.
Recommendations in the briefing include the importance of crew members knowing and understanding the hazards of refrigeration systems; the need for safe systems of operation; the importance of regular and property recorded maintenance; the need for safe design and positioning of retrofitted systems and the importance of effective response management.
