At this week’s International Union of Marine Insurance  annual conference in Singapore, Neil Roberts, Chair of IUMI’s Policy Forum, reaffirmed that maritime safety, environmental protection and crew remain central to the organisation’s policy agenda.

Speaking during the Policy Forum Workshop, Roberts outlined some of the most pressing challenges facing the maritime sector.

“The core of our Policy Forum work continues to focus on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and initiatives aimed at improving safety at sea,” Roberts explained. “Our members are actively engaged with the IMO Ship Systems and Equipment Sub-Committee, particularly around critical issues such as fires on containerships which are still trending up and the carriage of electric vehicles.”

Last week, IUMI issued an updated position paper providing risk mitigation advice for the safe ocean transport of electric vehicles (EVs). Reflecting new research and findings, key updates include:

• Managing thermal runaway and potentially explosive gases.
• Comparing fire intensity between EVs and internal combustion engine vehicles.
• Addressing vulnerabilities in pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) designs.
• Prioritising early detection and “fixed first” firefighting strategies for PCTCs.
• Reassessing the effectiveness of foam-based fire suppression systems.

In August, IUMI published an information paper urging marine insurers to broaden their understanding of modern slavery risks within maritime and logistics (?) supply chains. Given that the maritime industry has been identified as high-risk, the paper calls on insurers to adopt a proactive stance wherever possible. While acknowledging that insurers are typically one step removed from direct operations, the paper stresses their crucial role in shaping responsible industry practices.

Addressing broader geopolitical challenges, Roberts commented:

“It would be impossible not to mention the complications caused by sanctions, every western politician’s tool of choice. The problem for insurers is twofold, first the need to comply, and second the difficulty of trading when reconciling two complete opposites. Sanctions are designed to inhibit trade whereas marine insurance is meant to facilitate it.”

Roberts also turned to environmental risks, referencing the X-Press Pearl incident and other recent cases such as the Solong and Elsa 3. These incidents have highlighted the devastating impact of nurdles – small plastic pellets – when spilt into the ocean, where they are nearly impossible to remove and often enter the food chain.

“With billions more in production and transported by sea, more controls are needed. IUMI believes that nurdles should be subject to the dangerous goods code and continues to push for change in this regard”, he said.

This year’s Policy Forum Workshop placed a strong emphasis on the critical role of seafarers in keeping global trade moving. Discussions focused on the often-overlooked challenges crews face, including fatigue, working conditions and recruitment pressures.