The International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) today launched a Crew Welfare Checklist for hull and machinery insurers. This checklist is designed to complement the risk assessment process and focuses on the human element. Research has shown that crew welfare is not only a welfare issue but also a significant business risk factor. Since human error is one of the contributing factors in hull claims, creating conditions for healthier and more resilient crews significantly aids in preventing and reducing losses.
Development of the Crew Welfare Checklist
The checklist has been developed by IUMI members, including former seafarers, to help insurers incorporate more objective data regarding crew welfare considerations into their regulated processes, risk modeling, and claims management. Elias Tsakiridis, CEO of the American Club (Europe) and Chair of the IUMI Ocean Hull Committee, who has supported the development of this checklist, states: "Hull insurers assess machinery, class, age, management, and claims history. However, the safety and performance of any vessel ultimately depend on its crew. Crew welfare should have a more prominent place in hull risk assessment."
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The Importance of Crew Welfare
Tsakiridis adds: "Fatigue, stress, excessive workload, inadequate rest, and poor living conditions can negatively impact decision-making and situational awareness, increasing the likelihood of human error. Since such errors are significantly related to maritime incidents, improving crew welfare can help reduce both the frequency and severity of incidents during maritime operations."
The IUMI Crew Welfare Checklist provides practical questions and indicators for insurers to assess the level of emphasis an operator places on the welfare of their seafarers. This checklist should be completed by the onshore insurance broker or underwriter and not by crew members on board, and it applies to all types of vessels of any nationality or flag.
IUMI will promote this checklist globally among insurers, risk modelers, risk engineers, and claims management professionals.
Tsakiridis concludes: "Mental health, safety culture, and living conditions aboard should not be overlooked in a comprehensive risk assessment. At the same time, hull insurers should not become welfare inspectors. Instead, we should ask better questions about fatigue, maintenance, shore support, war voyages, repatriation, and family communications. This will support a more comprehensive approach to risk modeling, regulation, and claims management and recognizes that safe vessels are not only built through engineering and technology but also through healthy, trained, and supported crews."
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