Fatigue and loss prevention, the P & I Clubs perspective

Abstract

"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for" had quoted John A. Shedd in 1928 in his collection of sayings "Salt from My Attic" and we couldn’t agree more that this is a true statement. Ships are built however not to stay at ports but to travel all over the world through harsh conditions in the oceans. As their main purpose of construction is the international trade and the transport of people, they play an extremely significant factor in world’s economy. Considering the high percentage of seaborne transportation in our days that reaches almost ninety percent, the safety in maritime industry is of great importance. The improvement of safety onboard is not only important for the vessel’s crew, but also for the shipping industry itself. Eliminating the risk of fatigue for seafarers and its consequences requires the incorporation and establishment of strict rules and guidelines.Our dissertation addresses how fatigue affects the maritime sector and can lead even to losses from the perspective of Protection and Indemnity Clubs towards fatigue.