What to do when you've suffered a loss
The way forward after a loss
Usually, the first thing the captain does after a ship suffers fire or water damage is to inform the owner, who in turn contacts the insurance company. They put together a team of experts to restore the damage.
1. Call the experts. Immediately.
It’s important to call an independent remediation expert because it takes a trained eye to analyse the scale and severity of damage. And no less skill goes into selecting the best measures to implement without delay in order to minimise costly consequential damage. So what can you expect when you call BELFOR’s remediation experts?
2. Assessing the damage: How bad is it?
To determine the nature and extent of the damage, BELFOR’s project manager works alongside the insurance company’s technical expert to survey the effects of smoke, soot, extinguishing agents, seawater and corrosion on the ship’s decks, holds, rooms, equipment, machinery and spare parts, etc. When, for instance, plastics burn, they can produce hydrogen chloride gas (HCl), which dissolves in moisture and corrodes metal surfaces within a few hours.
Damage analysis includes:
- Conducting rapid, on-site HCl tests to detect hydrogen chloride gas
- Performing titration testing to identify and measure chloride levels
- Taking wipe samples of surfaces for laboratory analysis
- Measuring moisture levels
3. Take timely action to prevent further damage
To prevent costly secondary damage, the incident commander promptly initiates the necessary measures. These include:
- Securing/blocking off the hazardous areas
- Sealing off the areas to prevent soot spreading
- Stopping corrosion that has already started and preventing further corrosion
- Reducing relative humidity
Secondary damage is caused by smoke, soot and seawater as well as fire extinguishing agents and their residues. Incident commanders carry with them the necessary chemicals to treat such damage. This is also the point at which we determine what needs to be repaired or replaced in order to make the ship safe and seaworthy again.
4. Restoration by the numbers
The purpose of restoration is to save equipment and reduce the loss of hire by making a swift return to full operational capacity. With that in mind, we harness the results of the damage analysis to determine how best to go about refurbishing the vessel.
BELFOR develops a structured remediation and cost plan that encompasses all the necessary measures, including:
- Decontamination: removing soot and toxic hazardous substances
- Neutralisation
- Remediation of equipment, objects, surfaces contaminated by corrosive or toxic substances
- Sanitising machines and electronics
- Technical drying and eliminating mould
In consultation with all parties involved, we decide whether the remediation can be carried out on board during the voyage.
Time is money
Delaying refurbishment after an incident only makes the consequential damage worse and extends downtime, all of which drives up costs. The best way to save money is to respond quickly and effectively. With BELFOR’s help, you can beat the clock – and costs.
Skilfully managing complex projects As repairing fire, water and other forms of damage is a complex business, specialists from a wide range of disciplines must coordinate their professional efforts to get you back on track quickly. BELFOR will provide you with dedicated support throughout the process. In the best maritime tradition, we offer our services around the clock, across the globe.
We chart your course back to operationality
The BELFOR Maritime division is on call 24/7. As soon as we receive your SOS message, we will promptly dispatch a seasoned project manager to your ship. On arrival, the project manager will analyse and prioritise restoration work. After consulting with you, the team will immediately implement the emergency measures necessary to minimising or avoiding operational interruptions as well as mitigating subsequent damage. At the same time, we will generally take on the task of coordinating the restoration process and communicating with all stakeholders – from the ship’s technical crew to the superintendent and surveyor.
