The Together in Safety website has been launched.
In view of this launch, INTERCARGO had reiterated its support through the below statement by the Association’s Chairman Dimitris J. Fafalios, & Secretary General Kostas G. Gkonis:
INTERCARGO supporting ‘Together in Safety’
On behalf of INTERCARGO, we would like to express our strong commitment to the ‘Together in Safety’ initiative.
INTERCARGO has worked tirelessly over the years to drive the safety agenda, both through the ongoing efforts of our Members and our liaison with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in the areas of cargo liquefaction, the sulphur limit and vessel design and construction, to name a few.
Our Members are committed to improving safety in all aspects of their business operations, and the ‘Together in Safety’ initiative will prove an invaluable addition to the safety programmes currently being undertaken within our community.
It must be remembered however that the dry bulk sector operates within a more complex and yet less regulated framework than many other sectors and the drive towards safety requires the commitment of a number of interrelated stakeholders. Consequently the ‘Together in Safety’ initiative cannot stop at the ship, but must also be disseminated along the supply chain from ports, through to terminals, to shippers, to charterers, and finally to receivers.
Safe operations within the dry bulk shipping sector are heavily dependent on the good working practices of our partners. The provision of properly declared cargoes in good condition, care with hatch covers when loading and unloading, and availability of safe berthing are all pivotal to the safety record of the sector as a whole.
We are also aware that in the dry bulk sector there are many smaller operators with limited resources – compared with for example, the tanker sector – and we must help them to make the most of the resources that they have available in this area. The safety of our crews and their vessels is not an option, and we strongly encourage our members to support this initiative and make the most of this valuable resource open to us.
Dimitris J. Fafalios, Chairman & Kostas G. Gkonis, Secretary General
(see also Testimonials on the Together in Safety website).
For background information / past updates on this initiative supported by our Association, you may refer to INTERCARGO’s webpost Together in Safety Seminar.
