The safe transfer of personnel is an essential aspect of the global shipping industry for a range of activities including cargo operations, access to single point moorings, maintenance work, as a contingency for adverse weather and for emergencies and evacuations.
There are 50,000 merchant ships worldwide. Shipping carries 90% of world trade goods and it’s predicted that global freight will more than quadruple by 20501. Therefore, it’s essential to have a safe, personnel transfer and access solution that meets your needs and is also cost-effective.
Gale force winds, fierce tidal surges and temperatures to -40˚C/F - whatever the conditions, Reflex Marine’s carriers provide the safety you need.
Solving your crew transfer issues
Marine transfer is a flexible option and is becoming increasingly popular as a safe and cost-effective alternative to helicopters. In fact, many operators now plan their marine operations with the same high level of focus and professionalism previously only applied to aviation.
Your safety is our priority
Initial research into accidents in the marine industry shows how several injuries and deaths can be categorised. These are:
• Falling: the most common risk – crew can be tipped from a basket as it’s trapped beneath an obstruction. In one case a crew member who wasn’t wearing personal protective equipment fell into the sea and died.2
• Vertical impact: back and leg injuries happen when people land heavily on deck.3
• Lateral impact: injuries from a basket hitting a crash barrier or an accommodation rail on a tug. In one case, a person injured a leg as the basket was accidently swung against the boom of the crane of the destination vessel.3
• Immersion: a death occurred during a ship-to-ship transfer when a crane wire snapped, dropping the person being transferred on a rope basket between two tankers.3
These incidents highlight the need for thorough training, preparation and the use of the right equipment to ensure safe operations.
Designing out risk – six years without a lost time incident
The design objectives for our carriers are based around the four risk categories above. We’ve developed the most rigorous testing and verification program ever used by the industry to confirm these objectives are met. We adopted methodologies similar to those used to evaluate the safety performance of motor vehicles and assess the risk of injury. Vessel motions, crane speeds, sea states and the impact on the human body were among criteria assessed with the aim of designing a range of carriers with increased protection for personnel during transfer.
It’s no surprise, then that while our carriers are used in more than a million operations a year around the world, there have been no lost time incidents for the last six years.
Crew transfer using a Reflex Marine carrier and crane is a safe, manageable and flexible activity, enabling personnel transport risks to be mitigated in the shipping and marine industry.
References
1 ‘International Trade and Freight to 2050’ Jani Kuppila, International Transport Forum, 2015.
2 ‘Personnel Transfer Using Ship’s Cranes’, Chris Spencer, The Standard P & I Club, 2010
3 Professional Mariner (www.professionalmariner.com), Dom Yanchunas, 2009