Traditionally classification societies have focused primarily on improving standards in ships' structures and machinery systems, but of all the accidents that happen at sea, almost half of them could be commonly described as navigational errors.
And of these about 7 percent result from contact, 20 percent from groundings and 22 percent collisions. What's more, they all tend to share one thing in common; the human element.
I used to say that 80 percent of all casualties were related to human failure while 20 percent were due to some technical glitch or other, but it wouldn't surprise me if this ratio has since moved more in the direction of 90 to 10.
The human element, like ships' structures and machinery and navigational systems, is now an intrinsic part of a classification society's fight to combat substandard shipping and to help move the industry towards a more rational, quality-driven approach. In fact, DNV's SeaSkill initiative, which helps organisations put in place a certified system to develop and manage competence, was established for this very reason and is currently the only standard-bearer of competence management systems in the maritime sector. You can read more about DNV SeaSkill and the competence management work it is doing for Teekay Shipping on page 10.
On the whole I am satisfied with our safety record and the reductions in accidents and fatalities over the past few years. This has largely been result of DNV's five-year, five-point strategy to develop a system that rates the quality of a ship and thus identify potential substandard ships. Two years into the initiative and the results have been positive.
DNV's low detention figures and initiatives like SeaSkill show that we are making headway in the elimination of substandard shipping. But we cannot rest on our laurels. Everyone has to search for continuous improvement and listen to people outside the industry.