MORE work to increase common standards for emergency action is required to ensure safe operation in the Arctic says Morten Mejlænder-Larsen, the DNV GL expert responsible for Arctic and Polar activities at the Norwegian/German class society.
According to DNV GL, there is an increased number of vessels sailing north into potentially dangerous Arctic waters. A major issue, according to Mr Mejlænder-Larsen, is a continued lack of clarity and consistency in how to deal with an emergency. For example, who to call, what to do, where to get help from.
There is no common standard for dealing with an Arctic emergency, which increases risk Mejlaender-Larsen told journalists gathered in Oslo this week for a pre-Nor-Shipping event. Furthermore, equipment failure is still a major problem in cold Arctic environments; rescue equipment is often not designed for such cold environments and can therefore fail to work, exacerbating fatalities.
Rescuing a large number of people from a cruise ship that may have blacked-out in an Arctic environment is just not possible via helicopter. Fatalities increase as people freeze to death due to lack of functional equipment prepared for Arctic operation, and no common emergency plan designed specifically for Arctic search and rescue operation.
Mejlænder-Larsen also said that lack of training in using emergency equipment is evident. Shipping needs to undergo serious preparedness and safety training he said.
Norway’s vision is to make the country a world leader in planning, leading and Arctic expedition. Larsen said they want to create an arena for information sharing among relevant parties and create general awareness to reduce the chance of a catastrophic accident, and reduce fatalities from it.
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