The International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) has launched a Crew Wellbeing Checklist for Hull & Machinery insurers which is designed to complement their risk assessment process by focusing on the human element. Research increasingly demonstrates that crew wellbeing is not only a welfare issue but also an important business risk factor. As human error is a contributor to hull claims, creating the conditions for a healthier and more resilient crew materially helps loss prevention and mitigation.
The Checklist was developed by IUMI members, including former seafarers, to help insurers incorporate concrete data on crew welfare considerations into their underwriting, risk modelling and claims-handling processes. Ilias Tsakiris, CEO of the American Club (Europe) and Chair of IUMI’s Ocean Hull Committee, who supported the development of the Checklist, explains:
“Hull underwriters assess machinery, class, age, management and claims history. Yet the safety and performance of every vessel ultimately depend on its crew. Crew wellbeing deserves a more prominent place in hull risk assessment.”
“Fatigue, stress, excessive workloads, inadequate rest and poor living conditions can negatively affect decision-making and situational awareness, increasing the likelihood of human error. Since such errors contribute to a significant proportion of marine casualties, improving crew wellbeing can help reduce both the frequency and severity of incidents onboard.”
The IUMI Crew Wellbeing Checklist provides practical questions and indicators for insurers to assess the level of emphasis an operator places on the wellbeing of its seafarers. The Checklist should be submitted to and completed by the broker or the assured’s insurance manager ashore – not by crew members onboard – and is applicable to all vessel types of any nationality or waters.
IUMI will promote the Checklist globally among underwriters, risk modellers, risk engineers and claims professionals.
Tsakiris concludes:
“Mental health, safety culture and living conditions onboard cannot be ignored in a holistic risk assessment. At the same time, H&M underwriters should not become welfare inspectors. Instead, we should ask better questions about fatigue, retention, shore support, warlike voyages, repatriation and family communication. This will support a more comprehensive approach to risk modelling, underwriting and claims handling, recognising that safer ships are not built solely through engineering and technology but also through healthy, well-trained and well-supported crews.”
