ABS provides public access to vessel information http://www.eagle.org PHOTOS to come of Frank Iarossi / Robert Sommerville Class society ABS has made the brave step of opening up large amounts of its ship vessel database to the public. Over the ABS website, the public can access technical, classification and owner / operator information to over 9,000 vessels classed by ABS. To access the information, go to www.eagle.org, and click on products and services / classification / vessel information. SUBHEAD Additional information Extra information is also now being available, including inclusion of statutory survey data for vessels registered with flags that have authorised ABS to release the information. Sections to the data include general characteristics, hull details, machinery details, survey status and owner / operator address information. Users are now provided with specific information why any ships have had their ABS class cancelled (previously the reason was only attributed to "outstanding recommendations" or "overdue surveys". ABS will no longer publish the printed version of the ABS record, which has been published annually on paper since 1867 and sold. The electronic version will be available free. SUBHEAD Greater transparency "We believe this a major step towards greater transparency and greater accountability within the marine industry," said ABS president and chief operating officer Robert D. Somerville. "There is a total commitment to this policy within ABS and within IACS. Mr Somerville stressed that the on-line posting of information is but one step towards the overall goal of greater transparency. "The EU and other governmental authorities are pressing the industry, and class to be more open," he said. ABS is responding to those requirements. For example it has redefined the information that has traditionally been considered contractually confidential between the owner of a vessel and the classification society. "Where we believe it is necessary, we will go beyond the regulatory demands," Mr Somerville stressed. "The manner in which ABS released information to the public in the aftermath of the Prestige incident is an example of this new openness. We have been greatly heartened by the universally positive response to our actions." SUBHEAD Yes shipping is safe ABS has been making efforts to portray the message that the maritime industry does, contrary to popular belief, have a better safety record than the airline industry. If people want their goods moved around the world in ships, then they need to accept that there will be an element of risk involved. At a recent lecture in Singapore, ABS chairman Frank Iarossi pointed out that the annual merchant vessel loss rate per 1000 units has been lower than the annual commercial aircraft loss rate every year since 1998. "The commercial aircraft loss rate per million flight or voyage hours at risk is three times that for merchant ships," he said. "Actual loss rates for vessels of all types of 100 gross tons or more have been halved in the past ten years to about two vessels per thousand per year," he said. In the last ten years, total losses of all vessels over 500 gross tons has declined from more than 180 vessels to less than 80 per year, he stressed. In tonnage terms this represents a decline from 1.75 million gross tons to less than 750,000 gross tons or 0.1 percent of the world fleet. On the subject of death, in the past ten years marine fatalities have declined dramatically from over 500 per year to less than 200, while oil spilled from ships has declined by over 70 percent, he said. The sources of the data, Mr Iarossi said, included the United Nations, the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation, the US Coast Guard and the International Union of Marine Underwriters Joint Hull Committee "The public perception of the marine industry continues to be shaped not by the contribution made to international prosperity, but by the very infrequent, and sometimes very tragic casualty," he said. Mr Iarossi pointed out that the aviation industry is not coming under anywhere the level of attack from politicians as the maritime industry, despite being much more dangerous. "Has the United Nations or the European Union or the US Congress rushed into emergency session to mandate a double set of wings on all aircraft?" he asked. "Whether we are measuring marine safety in terms of vessels lost at sea, or maritime fatalities or oil spilled from ships; whether we are using data from governmental agencies, the insurance industry or the shipping industry; whether we are considering the past 30 years or the past 10 years, all the trends clearly indicate the maritime industry continues to show dramatic improvement in its safety and environmental performance," he concluded. SUBHEAD Maritime trade press One of the biggest culprits for the maritime industry's poor public image is its own trade press, he claimed, which pays continuous attention to the substandard minority of shipping companies. This attention influences the general media, he said, which in turn communicates to the wider public an image of a ruthless, reckless and irresponsible industry." This in turn reinforces the perception within governments that the marine industry "cannot be trusted to improve its safety performance without government mandated action." Mr Iarossi also claimed that the trade press was passing on the brunt of the blame for vessel losses onto class, although only a small percentage of actual losses has been attributed to hull or structural causes. SUBHEAD Solutions Mr Iarossi acknowledged that maritime shipping could never ever be risk free. "It is not possible to mandate an error free operating environment or an unsinkable ship. There will always be a degree of risk associated with navigating the uncertain and often turbulent waters of the world's oceans." However this does not mean that the maritime industry can relax about its safety. "What should be paramount is that the marine industry demonstrate its dedication to safety and environmental concern through continuously striving to improve its performance," he said. Mr Iarossi's suggestion was that a new shipping organisation, or one of the existing ones, should be given the task of "monitoring industry safety and environmental performance, collecting industry data, defining positive and negative trends, exchanging that data with other organizations and governments, publicizing those trends so as to provide reality to the formation of perceptions and stimulate corrective action when required by the industry in order to meet realistic expectations of society."