Lessons at sea: how maritime history shapes safer shipping today
With IMarEST’s History Society proving popular with members, former IMarEST President Martin Shaw tells Amy McLellan about some of the events from the past 100 years that have helped shape shipping today
Even in times of unprecedented technological change, there are always lessons to be drawn from the past.
“In a fast changing world, history is never very far behind you,” said Martin Shaw, a past president of IMarEST and Chair of its fast-growing History Society. Bringing together members of all ages and career stages, the society aims to increase shared understanding of the significance of historic developments in marine engineering, science and technology.
According to Shaw, there are always lessons to be learned from history and that today’s challenges, be it new fuels, increased autonomy or evolving safety regulations, can often find parallels – and learnings – from the past.
One of the most significant learning events of the past 100 years, said Shaw - resisting the temptation to use the ‘T’ word (Titanic) - was the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster in 1987. Four minutes after departing the Belgian port of Zeebrugge bound for Dover, in calm seas and good weather, the RORO ferry capsized on a sand bank, with all lights out, in just 90 seconds. There was not enough time to send an SOS signal, nor to lower the lifeboats or deploy life jackets.
The formal investigation report was published in September the same year, detailing 188 confirmed fatalities. It revealed that the bow doors had been left open due to a human error borne of fatigue and time pressure, compounded by failures in supervision and communication within the operating company, Townsend Thoresen. The inquiry, led by Lord Justice Sheen, famously described these systemic failures as “the disease of sloppiness.” The issue of time pressure has not been addressed yet although IMarEST has been pushing this issue at IMO, said Shaw, noting that it was also central to the Titanic disaster.
One of the outcomes of the investigation of this accident was the formation of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) in 1989, headed by Shaw’s old boss Peter Marriott.
“So much came out of this awful event, that it really made a big difference,” said Shaw, pointing out that the strong desire to ‘do something’ after the disaster led to the creation of the ISM (International Safety Management) Code in 1993, which entered into force in 1998.
Shaw also highlighted other maritime accidents, particularly the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker that ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of oil affecting more than 2,000 km of shoreline with severe impacts on fish, wildlife and their habitats, as well as for local industries and communities. Many learnings came out of this environmental disaster, advancing better understanding and research into effective oil pollution clean-up, along with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) and the phase in of a double hull design for tankers, which, while not a panacea, has undoubtedly reduced oil pollution at sea.
For Shaw, these examples underline the enduring importance of understanding maritime history - not simply as a record of past events, but as a foundation for safer and more resilient operations.
The History Society is open to all members of the IMarEST, and has a very active committee organising webinars, articles and events, with a ‘show and tell’ planned for June.
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Image: Ship on calm waters Credit: Shutterstock.
