IUMI launches Crew Wellbeing Checklist to strengthen marine risk assessment

The International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) has introduced a Crew Wellbeing Checklist aimed at enhancing Hull & Machinery insurers' risk assessment procedures. This new resource underscores that crew wellbeing is a critical aspect of business risk, not just welfare. As human errors play a significant role in hull claims, a healthier crew can contribute to loss prevention and mitigation.

Created by IUMI members, including former seafarers, the Checklist assists insurers in integrating concrete data on crew welfare into their underwriting, risk modeling, and claims handling. Ilias Tsakiris, CEO of the American Club (Europe) and Chair of IUMI’s Ocean Hull Committee, emphasized that hull underwriters traditionally focus on machinery, class, age, management, and claims history.

However, crew wellbeing, which includes factors such as fatigue, stress, excessive workloads, inadequate rest, and poor living conditions, can negatively impact decision-making and situational awareness, leading to human errors that cause a substantial portion of marine accidents.

The Crew Wellbeing Checklist provides insurers with practical questions and indicators to evaluate how much priority is given to seafarers' wellbeing. It is intended for submission by brokers or assureds' insurance managers to shore and is applicable to all types of vessels, regardless of nationality or location. IUMI plans to disseminate the Checklist globally to underwriters, risk modellers, risk engineers, and claims professionals.

Tsakiris stressed that while improving crew wellbeing should not turn underwriters into welfare inspectors, it is essential to ask better questions about issues like fatigue, crew retention, shore support, warlike voyages, repatriation, and family communication. This holistic approach aims to foster safer ships through well-trained, well-supported crews, not just advanced engineering and technology.