IN THE MEDIA
Over the last 10 years, Industry analyses highlight the inherent risks in shipyard operations, including fires, explosions, and machinery-related accidents.
Just to mention a few of the highest profile incidents that have been in the media -
The Lürssen Fire
In September 2018, in the Lürssen shipyard at Bremen-Aumund (Germany) caught fire and destroyed various yachts that were under construction. The fire, which caused extensive damage to the Ship yard instalations, was estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of euros, originating in a floating dock where a luxury yacht was under construction. Investigations launched into the event in its aftermath, pointed towards welding activities as the likely trigger.
The blaze reportedly spread rapidly due to the presence of combustible materials such as insulation and scaffolding within the dock and on the vessel. While welding work was the primary suspect in the cause, a criminal investigation was also initiated to determine the precise circumstances and any potential negligence to be assigned to the participants.
The Ferreti Shipyard fire
In January 2022, at the Ferretti Shipyard in Cattolica, Italy, while under repair and maintenance one of the hangers where the vessels were kept out of water caught fire, which led to the total destruction of the yachts within the space.
The total loss was again in the millions. Again it seems that accelerants and welding are the potential cause.
Luckily in both events, no loss of life occurred, as fire fighting services in both countries were alerted quickly and personnel were well trained in fire evacuation procedures.
As these might be the most famous of the shipyard events in recent years, it does not mean that other much smaller incidents don’t occur daily. More recently, while working in a drydock space under a vessel that was in for annual maintenance and cleaning, an operator of a moving gantry did not notice a scaffolding while manoeuvring and knocked it over. This event injured quite seriously his colleague who was working on that same scaffolding.
The incident led to a long hospitalisation period for the injured man and relevant civil and criminal proceedings brought against the contractor who was tasked with the cleaning. The cost of the event was quite far-reaching for the contractor and has surpassed the 140,000 euro mark, in medical costs and legal fees alone, for the contractor who employed the injured man.
Work based incidents/accidents happen all the time, mostly not reported on in the media and in the course of any business operation over its lifetime, the potential of such events occurring can lead to liabilities and injuries that will be very detrimental to the operation of a contractor or a sub-contractor on any project. They can potentially terminate the work altogether.
Therefore, the name of the game is to be pro-active and to take loss-preventative actions where possible. Ensuring that all guidelines and protocols are met, while safety measures are fully adhered to. In the event that something is fortuitous, insurance steps in to assist.
