Capt. Karavasilis: 'Embrace Your Crew — Because Profit Comes From Them'

The UK P&I Club Greece Regional Loss Prevention Director, Captain Kostas Karavasilis, highlighted the maritime sector's most critical yet most neglected asset — the crew — at the Ship Insurance Turkey symposium held in Istanbul today. Karavasilis stated that the aging fleets, the shortage of experienced seafarers, and the modern operational demands not aligning with older ships are directly reflected in the frequency of claims.

Captain Karavasilis began his presentation by expressing his love for Istanbul; he then moved on to the main issue that the sector hesitates to discuss: the shortage of experienced seafarers.

Karavasilis emphasized that discussions in the sector often focus on officers; however, crew members such as ABs, OSs, oilers, and stewards are just as critical an asset: 'These people are part of the entity that moves our ships, your ships, your racing buses. No operation is possible without them.'

Aging Fleet, Crumbling Scrap Market

The picture painted by Karavasilis is clear: the scrap market has lost its former strength, while freight rates remain high. This situation leads shipowners to continue operating older vessels instead of scrapping them to pocket the premium freight.

Karavasilis summarized this scenario: 'You open the newspaper, a broker calls: “Are you going to scrap it?” “No, I will save the ship, I will take the premium.” Ultimately, we have an aging fleet, new technologies added on top, and a crew expected to carry all of it. The increase in claims frequency we observe at the UK P&I Club is actually valid for all International Group clubs.'

'The Issue We Sweep Under the Rug: Crew Fatigue'

Karavasilis’s most striking observation was related to a reality that the sector has ignored for many years: the fatigue and mental health of seafarers.

Citing his own experience, Karavasilis mentioned that a ship arriving in Istanbul during his time stayed for ten days; today, the same ship remains in port for only 46 hours to unload the same cargo. 'Not even 48 hours, just 46 hours. There is no opportunity to go ashore, rest, or see the city. On top of that, there are countless emails from the office, checklists, port state control preparations, and immigration officer restrictions. The crew is tired.'

Karavasilis underscored that there is a direct link between mental health, safety performance, and the economic-financial performance of the ship.

New Generation Seafarers: Better Educated, Less Tolerant

Karavasilis acknowledged that today’s crew is much better educated compared to his generation. He noted that companies continuously send seafarers to seminars, forums, and webinars, especially in sensitive areas where the level of training has significantly increased.

However, the approach of the new generation of seafarers towards work culture has also fundamentally changed: 'In our time, we did not have the right to speak with the company. If you said something, the ship would turn you to the other side. You couldn’t talk on the bridge. The new generation does not tolerate this. They want to speak. And despite coming from different parts of the world, they all share the same ethical values and expectations of inclusivity.'

Old Ship + New Technology = Improvised Crew

Karavasilis pointed out that integrating new systems into older ships in a market where modern operational demands are rapidly increasing places an extraordinary burden on the crew. Modules added without systematic integration force the crew to improvise, stepping outside of the manual.

'The crew is competent according to their standards. But this time they are expected to improvise. This is a direct risk factor in terms of claims.'

From the Insurer's Perspective: Happy Crew, Less Damage

Karavasilis's message is extremely clear from a P&I perspective: the mental state of the crew directly affects the frequency of P&I claims. On ships with happy crews, both personal injury claims and cargo claims, as well as other operationally related damages, significantly decrease.

Karavasilis summarized this point: 'Everything is interconnected. If the mental state of the crew is as it should be, you experience far fewer personal injury claims. Cargo shortage claims also decrease. It’s all one chain.'

'Embrace Your Crew'

Karavasilis concluded his presentation with a direct call to shipowners: 'Do not forget this: Embrace your crew. Make them happy. Make them feel important. They work for you. They work for you to make a profit — because that is the essence of shipping. Love them.'

The UK P&I Club Loss Prevention Director ended with the strongest message to the sector: as long as the human element continues to be the primary cause of maritime accidents, investing in the welfare of the crew is not only an ethical obligation but also a direct underwriting and claims management strategy.

Source: SeaNews Türkiye