RSI Annual Report for 2022

Shortcomings, but also improvements, in shipping on the Baltic and North Seas

Rest periods, travel planning and mooring. These are some of the areas for improvement on vessels operating in the Baltic and North Seas, according to the new inspection report for 2022 from RSI. Several shortcomings reoccur in inspections year after year, but an improvement has also been seen. One such example is improved procedures for alcohol policies and testing.

The Responsible Shipping Initiative (RSI) is a non-profit organisation with the purpose of promoting responsible shipping in the Baltic and North Seas. The organisation was founded in 2019 by Södra, EFO, Lantmännen and Stockholm Exergi. BillerudKorsnäs and SSAB have also joined the initiative since then.

The summary of the inspection that was conducted in 2022 indicates several areas of development for the vessels in question. After just over three years of partnerships, the association has started to build up comprehensive material from the inspections it has conducted and has gained significantly greater knowledge about the actual status aboard the vessels being used.

“This knowledge provides us with a unique opportunity to hold constructive dialogues with our shippers regarding standards and safety, and how together we can continue to raise the level of the efforts around marine safety, work environments, working conditions and the environment aboard the boas. It is vital that we regularly inspect the vessels we use in our operations,” said Sebastian Tamm, Logistics Manager at EFO.

Over the past year, we have noted increased interest in RSI’s efforts from shippers, with meetings being held with shippers who wanted to understand more about how RSI works and also having the opportunity to present their work to improve safety on their vessels. “We are especially pleased about these initiatives, since it generates the constructive discussions we would like to have with shippers,” said Mårten Niklasson from Lantmännen.

Rest periods, travel planning and mooring.

• One requirement is reporting the rest periods for all personnel on board. There are indications that some of the vessels inspected are facing challenges in meeting these requirements.
• Several inspections found that voyage planning did not comply with international regulations. For example, the voyage had not been planned with account for the limitations of the vessel and in many cases, the vessel did not carry approved electronic navigational charts.
• Mooring defects were also detected on the vessels. The most common defect was poor maintenance of deck equipment, which led to unnecessary wear of mooring lines.

 

We see that shipping companies are experiencing greater difficulties in recruiting experienced and qualified crews for their vessels. This is a situation that has deteriorated further after Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine. It is a concerning development since we have seen signs that the crews on certain vessels that we inspected may be experiencing difficulties in managing their duties in a sufficiently safe manner. In some cases, there may be a need to review the size and composition of the crews so that we can be assured that the crew has a reasonable ability to run the vessel safely.

 

A great advantage in working together“The result of RSI’s inspections show why continued efforts to monitor and collaborate around these issues are so important,” said Rebecka Nyholm, Category Manager at Södra.

 

“RSI’s ambition is to achieve responsible, sustainable and safe marine transport, which is why last year we expanded RSI’s efforts on a project aimed at accelerating the transition to more climate-friendly vessels. The vessel fleet is relatively old, and there is an enormous need to update it. Not only to ensure sufficient capacity, but also to achieve shipping with a lower carbon footprint. “The project, which was initiated in the autumn of 2022 and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2024, is being carried out in partnership with DNV and is aimed at evaluating our mutual and future needs as a potential basis for investments for shippers to achieve marine transport with a lower climate impact,” said Peter Löfgren, Senior Manager Strategic Logistics at Billerud.

 

More information on RSI is available at http://responsibleshippinginitiative.org.

For questions, please contact:

Sebastian Tamm,

Logistics Manager at EFO

Tel: +46 8-24 90 58

 

The Responsible Shipping Initiative (RSI) is a non-profit organisation with the purpose of promoting responsible shipping in the Baltic and North Seas. The aim is to work together with shipping companies to improve working conditions, health and safety on dry cargo vessels, and to reduce the environmental impact of the vessels. The organisation was founded 2019 and now consists of BillerudKorsnäs, EFO, Lantmännen, SSAB, Stockholm Exergi and Södra.