K Line acclaims its seafarers for another step towards the aim of Zero Accidents ” & Zero Injuries”.

Safety is a continuous journey and not a final destination- so believes K Line Ship Management. “Think because you can. There is no use crying over spilt milk,” says the KLSM management, who believe that seafarers are the core asset of their company. In appreciation of the contribution of seafarers towards the aim of achieving 'zero-accidents and zero-injuries’, KLSM conducted a two-day conference at The Lalit Hotel, Mumbai, on November 19 and 20.

“You are the people who run the company. The management is only here to assist, guide, and advise you whenever you need them to,” stated Capt SK Goyal, KLSM.

“Today, we aim to have open talks between the management and seamen who face varied situations on board. We also aim to communicate to our sailors the company’s policy, risk assessment programmes, and new programmes & case studies, and will advise them what exactly is expected from them while on board,” he said.

In his opening speech, Capt T Saito, President, KLSM, thanked the seafarers for their efforts and contribution for continuously reducing accident / injury ratios, with the previous year being yet another one in the series. KLSM has always stressed on having safe working procedures on board. “It is this continued focus on safety that has resulted in yet another rewarding year for KLSM to achieve the goal of becoming an accident free company” opined Capt Saito.

The packed house witnessed the presence of more than 80 seafarers and KLSM's top management. It aimed to provide a platform on which KLSM’s backbone - its seafarers – got a chance to interact and share their experiences and expertise. The event set aside the usual classroom setting, creating an atmosphere where all had an equal chance to debate, discuss and contribute ideas and knowledge. Seafarers came up with varied solutions to issues that were raised. The closed-circuit conference enhanced two-way communication between seafarers and management, and was a huge success.

Various case studies were discussed by Capt Otsuda, KLSM, Tokyo to expound on ways seafarers could prevent customer disappointment and dissatisfaction. The session laid emphasis on KLSM’s commitment to quality, reliability and profitability.

During the conference, Mr Fukuzawa put forth a detailed presentation on injury prevention and recent shipboard trends. He supported his papers with brilliant real life case studies.

Capt Rajan Mathur, KLSM SGP took up the importance of stress management and team building for seafarers. Stress has become a part of seafarers' lives, something they have come to terms with. Though stress can sometimes be a driving force to achieve excellence, more often than not it results in physiological and psychological damage. On board, stress can lead to problems and major mishaps, and, if left untreated, can sprout many health related problems.

To make seafarers aware of the rapidly changing regulations, the seminar provided a platform to clear doubts regarding the latest STCW 2010 rules and their implementation in India. Capt. MC Yadav was called in to share his expertise on the subject, and was very well received by the attendees.

The conference dealt with some core topics such as preventive maintenance, best practices, fuel and its care, action for CMS by deck officers and engineers, vetting excellence etc.

Many case studies were discussed on deck, navigation and machinery incident investigation. The seminar also enlightened the seafarers with Know Your Threat Plus (KYT+) - an understanding of Behaviour Based Safety (BBS) and the PDCA cycle in safety culture. This was presented by Capt Rele, KLSM, Tokyo, who also conducted a workshop on training of BBS observers.

Various other workshop programmes were conducted for seafarers to have hands-on experience of what can go wrong on board. Workshops were held on cargo system accidents and machinery incident investigation, something that delegates found very useful.

“The workshops were very helpful. It enabled us to know how mistakes occur and how they can be rectified,” said an enthusiastic seafarer who was very happy with the content of the seminar.

Apart from safety, KLSM also focuses on environmental awareness and sustainable operations. Capt Bhattacharya, KLSM, SGP, spoke on effectiveness of the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) in the fleet. SEEMP has become necessary. In accordance with the latest IMO rules and regulations, all existing vessels must have a SEEMP available on board. A SEEMP is a tool for ship energy optimisation; it is ideal for cutting fuel costs and increasing energy efficiency.

During the two-day seminar, KLSM honoured some seafarers with long service awards. KLSM has always believed in giving credit to its employees for the efforts they put in. Taking this legacy ahead, this year KLSM conferred the seven -year long service award on 53 seafarers.

KLSM also recognised the extraordinary assistance of seafarers who responded to ‘urgent relief’ calls. “This award was conferred on those seafarers who- on urgent emergency call- resumed their work on board;  KLSM has many such men who are passionate about working at sea,” stated Capt T Ibusuki, MD, KLSM, Tokyo.

To celebrate the grand success of the seminar, magnificent gala cocktail and dinner was organised for all seafarers and their families at the end of each day of this residential seminar. “KLSM believes that such conferences are essential to have one-on-one interaction with seafarers, and their families, since they are away most of the time”.