Oceans connect every continent in the world, presenting wonderful opportunities to transport goods. However, while oceans offer great means for shipping, there are also many hazards that can go along with sea transport.
The major 3 hazards of shipping by sea are:
1. Weather Hazards
Some of the most dangerous weather-related threats to shipping by sea are hurricanes, squalls, typhoons, and tropical cyclones. All of these types of storms can cause serious harm to, or even completely sink, cargo vessels.
How to avoid:
- Use the strongest and most seaworthy ships possible.
- Modern container ships are designed to withstand most storms.
- In fact, materials engineers now use computers to model the stresses on ship hulls.
- Once they get the information, they create steel able to withstand the measured stresses.
2. Geographic Hazards
Geographic hazards include anything on the seascape that can harm vessels, aside from the weather. Examples include coral reefs, icebergs, sandbars and other spots that are risky to navigate. Most people have heard the famous story of the Titanic, the gigantic passenger ship that sank in the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg.
How to avoid:
- Plan and navigate with extreme caution.
- Most of the time, if something goes wrong in terms of geographic hazards, it is due to a lack of planning or flawed navigation.
- Modern navigational technology such as GPS can also be used to steer ships clear of known sandbars and coral reefs.
- Furthermore, it’s of the highest importance that ships’ crews and officers are properly trained, and perform professionally.
3. Technological Hazards
Technological hazards are anything that can go wrong with the ships, or their equipment. This can mean structural problems, engine issues, navigational equipment failures, etc.
Another important technological hazard is the loss of shipping containers during voyages. The World Shipping Council estimates that 675 shipping containers are lost at sea every year.
How to avoid:
- A thorough inspection of equipment before ships set sail is key.
- In addition to complying with federal regulations and inspections for safety, shipping companies can also use the services of companies that specialize in inspecting, testing, and certifying cargo ships to make sure all is well before they set sail.
- Keep equipment up-to-date.
- Just as it’s important to inspect ships before they depart, it’s also critical to keep all equipment up-to-date.
- If you can see there’s damage somewhere on the hull of the ship, or if any of the machinery onboard isn’t working properly, it’s important to get the fixes made before the ship sails, even if it requires a delay in departure.
- While it’s obviously best to always be on time, it’s better to delay slightly than to risk your safety to make a deadline.
- Otherwise, the decision could cost you more than just your cargo, it could cost lives. So be careful!
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