Marine failures are costly in both operational and often human terms, and are frequently preventable. These are topics that will be explored at the 2nd IMarEST Marine Failure Conference with its theme ‘Learning and applying the lessons’. Organised by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) the two day conference will be staged at IMarEST headquarters at 80 Coleman Street, London on Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 April 2011, with a Technical Lecture on ‘Ship-ice interaction’ on the evening of 6 April.
IMarEST Marine Failure 2011 will consider both structural and mechanical failures, and examine whether the primary cause was faulty design, bad maintenance, operational procedure or human error; their costs and consequences; and the practical, preventative steps which can be taken for avoidance and rectification.
The Evening Technical Lecture ‘Ship-ice interaction’ on 6 April will be delivered by conference chairman, Prof John Carlton, Professor of Marine Engineering, City University London, who, by the time of the event will be IMarEST’s 109th President. The Lecture is open to delegates and non-delegates alike, and will be followed by a networking reception.
“The catastrophic structural failures which hit the headlines of the maritime and sometimes also the general press are dramatic. They frequently cause heavy environmental and human impact, in addition to the direct and operational costs to industry,” explains Professor John Carlton.
“Catastrophic structural failures are fortunately not as frequent as systems and machinery failures. Although system and machinery failures in general can be less costly in terms of their effect on men and material, they occur more often and can have a huge impact on the operational bottom line. Physical and machinery failures are one matter, but what of the human element in the equation? This conference will explore the interaction of man and machine and apply the lessons learned from past failures.
“The difficulties of conducting operations in ice and extreme cold are of increasing interest, in view of the prospects for new Arctic shipping routes,” he adds. “The IMarEST Evening Technical Lecture at the end of day one – to which all conference delegates are cordially invited – will focus on the subject of ‘Ship-ice interaction’.”
The conference details Following a welcome by Conference Chairman, Prof John Carlton, IMarEST Marine Failure 2011 features a keynote address ‘Learning and applying the lessons’ by Capt Stephen Clinch, Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, Marine Accident Investigation Branch. Sessions on the first day deal with ‘Materials failure’, and ‘Machinery and systems failures’.
The keynote speaker on the second day will be Alastair Evitt, Managing Director, Meridian Marine Management and President, InterManager who will give the owner’s perspective on the costs of failure; which will be followed by presentations on the insurance perspective; and the Hidden menace to shipping: Failures caused by microbial contamination before sessions on ‘Fuel and lubrication induced failures’ and ‘The human element’.
Further information including the conference programme and details on confirmed speakers is at www.imarest.org/events. Information is also available from events@imarest.org and from the Events Department, IMarEST, 80 Coleman Street, London EC2R 5BJ.