 Shipboard safety is one thing, but the design and construction of ships has an inpact on shipyard safety, particularly when ships containing potentially hazardous materials need repair, according to John Chillingworth, senior vice president of CTI Marine. Asbestos may be perceived as a problem of the past however, this is unfortunately not the case as it is still found on 85% of new ships. CTI Marine regularly performs pre delivery surveys on new builds and finds asbestos in their construction. This is a global issue because the material supply chain is global. The problem is mainly caused because suppliers are only required to give a declaration that an item is asbestos free and not provide a formal certificate itemising material content. Over the years the issue of finding asbestos on newer ships has prompted SOLAS to state that all ships built after July 2002 should be asbestos free. The SOLAS Convention acknowledges that the only accurate way to determine this is by having an asbestos survey performed by an accredited marine specialist who can issue a recognised certificate of compliance. CTI Marine is managed by former classification surveyors and has offices in UK, Singapore, Shanghai and Atlanta. It is the only company with the combined approval of GL/Lloyd’s, Netherlands and AMSA, to perform hazardous material inventories and asbestos surveys on ships. Some flag states, such as AMSA and the... |
