Emergency Contact Risk assessments for passenger vessel operations Home Latest updates News Risk assessments for passenger vessel operations 24 Apr 2017 Download Sign up for alerts Our article, Implementing risk assessments , highlighted the rise in claims which have been recorded by the Club as a result of incidents occurring during routine shipboard operations. As the article explained, these claims may have been avoided had a proper risk assessment been carried out. In this, the second in our series of risk assessment articles, we focus on risk assessments for passenger vessel operations. The carriage of passengers is a crucial operation and involves efficient supervision and care. The operator’s responsibility for the lives of the passengers begins as soon as they board the vessel and continues throughout the duration of the voyage until they disembark at their destination. For ease of reference, this operation can be split into three sections – embarking/disembarking of passengers, care of passengers during the voyage and care of passengers during emergency situations. The charts below illustrate the type and frequency of claims recorded by the Club during the embarking and disembarking and voyage stages: The management of passengers on board can be challenging as most often the number of passengers carried far outweighs the number of crew. Coupled with factors such as the passengers’ movement on board, unpredictable weather and the effect this may have on the vessels motion, the probability of incidents occurring can increase. For these reasons it is essential that operations on board have been carefully planned and managed and particularly attention has been paid to any potential risks. Identifying hazards and implementing controls To assist Members in identifying hazards and implementing the appropriate controls, the Club has produced three sample risk assessments based on the sections identified: Care of passengers embarking/disembarking Care of passengers