LR Bunker Tips: Safety First – Moving Between Vessel and Barge

by Chris Bieda, FOBAS Service Delivery, Lloyd’s Register GMT
Thursday January 11, 2018

Being a surveyor is one of those jobs that regardless of how many safety systems and equipment are in place, you are still at high risk of injury whilst carrying out your duties. Surveyor's always need to be aware of not only their personal safety, but also the safety of those around them.

One of the biggest risks to a surveyor is the transfer between the barge and the vessel and vice versa. This has to be done in all weather conditions and in all sea states and involves stepping beyond the safety of the rail over the water to the other side.

Depending on the vessel freeboard, surveyor's face climbing rope pilot ladders up to 10+ meters high in clothing that is suitable for surveying work, but not suitable for climbing (boiler suits, steel capped boots etc.) this also has to be done at all times of the day or night.

Here at FOBAS we have one rule… Safety First. The health and well-being of our employees and contractors is paramount and we will never expect them to place themselves in danger.

We will always endeavour to complete our surveys from both sides of the transfer, however if we are unable, we will always inform you and will always complete the report within the constraints of the safety issue identified.

As a vessel or barge operator, we ask all parties to consider the safe transfer of surveyor's between the vessel and Barge and make all efforts to ensure it is as safe as possible.

About Lloyd’s Register

LR

Lloyd's Register provides independent assurance and expert advice to companies operating high-risk, capital-intensive assets in the marine, energy and transportation sectors.

Our Marine Services

We are a leading provider of marine classification services around the world, helping ensure that internationally recognised safety and environmental standards are maintained at every stage of a ship's life.

But we provide much more than traditional classification. We understand that in today's complex marine industry our clients are facing challenges to achieve the best possible performance from their assets and operations. We work closely with all industry stakeholders – shipowners, operators, charterers, designers, shipyards, equipment suppliers and port authorities – to support compliance with regulations, understand and manage the application of new technology and innovation, assess the risks of novel concepts and make them a reality, and achieve greater operational and energy efficiency through optimisation. Every service we offer is based on our technical insight and extensive experience, which means we can help our clients make informed decisions to improve performance and achieve their operating goals.

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