Products Services Publications Topics About Gard Contact MyGard EMERGENCY Home Loss Prevention awareness videos Loss Prevention awareness videos All Loss prevention alerts Insight Member circulars Videos Podcasts Posters Bunker alerts The Gard Loss Prevention team joins other maritime industry leaders in producing a series of awareness videos. Soya bean damage claims – The legal landscape Gard, as a liability insurer for shipowner and charterers, has faced several large value soya bean damage claims in Chinese courts for damage to soya beans carried from Brazil. Shipowners ought not to be held liable for damage when the damage results from microbiological instability, a natural process that occurs due to moisture content of the beans, their temperature at loading and the time in the stow. Christopher Mackrill, Gard’s leader for cargo claims and Louis Shepherd, a Senior Claims Adviser and solicitor in our London office, discuss the legal and commercial landscape underpinning these claims. Best practice for ventilation of soya bean and grain cargo In our second video of a three-part series, we speak with Dr. Tim Moss of Brookes Bell who explains the cause and effect of ship sweat. He sets out the two alternative Rules – the Dew Point Rule and the 3 Degree Rule that inform the Master and crew when and when not to ventilate during the ship’s passage. As further explained in our article – Introducing the Master’s Checklists for Loading and Carriage of Soya Beans - proper ventilation and record keeping, are important to defend claims. The third and final video in the series will explore the commercial and legal landscape underpinning the spate of high value claims arising from microbiological instability in shipments of soya beans from Brazil to China. Microbiological instability in soya bean cargoes Over the course of the last several years, Gard has experienced an alarming increase in large claims arising from damage to soya beans shipped in bulk from Brazil to China. Shipowners and their Clubs have faced detentions and high demands for security resulting in Letters of Undertakings being issued in the millions of dollars. In these cases, the damage is most often caused by microbiological instability and resulting self-heating of the cargo. In our first video of a three-part series, we speak with cargo scientist, Dr. Tim Moss of Brookes Bell who explains the causes and effects of microbiological instability. Read more Enclosed space entry training Accidents in enclosed spaces onboard ships have long been a source of serious injuries and fatalities. Analyses of the accidents show that the underlying cause is often failure to follow established procedures – either due to insufficient knowledge of, or disregard for, the need to take safety precautions. Read more Cyber security awareness Across the global maritime community, ports, ships and offshore units are increasingly connected to and dependent on systems that makes use of a cyberspace (Internet). Failure to anticipate and prepare for a cyber incident onboard a ship or offshore unit may have significant consequences. Read more Watertight doors awareness During day to day operations of a ship and particularly in situations where the ship has been damaged, it is usually assumed that all watertight doors are closed and that the vessel’s internal watertight subdivision is 100% effective. On board a ship, the safety of the crew and passengers depends on the safety of the ship and this includes the safe use of watertight doors so that they do not pose any danger when passengers and crew pass through the doors or operate them. A joint campaign by Gard and DNV-GL. Read more Anchor loss awareness A growing number of anchor losses reported in recent years prompted DNV GL, Gard and The Swedish Club to investigate this issue further. Based on an analysis of cases involving anchor and anchor chain losses, the project partners have issued a video and a presentation identifying the most frequent technical and operational causes, and steps crews and operators can take to address them. Read more Also available in Japanese Anchor loss awareness - Portuguese subtitles The Anchor loss video with Portuguese subtitles can be viewed or downloaded here Gard thanks Cia de Navegação Norsul, Rio de Janeiro, for their assistance. STAY UPDATED Get updates from Gard in your inbox. Read our latest news and insights. Sign up for our updates Follow Gard Linkedin Twitter Facebook Disclaimer Code of ethics and business conduct Gard's commitment to the UN Global Compact Gard's Modern Slavery Act statement Cookies and data protection Complaints Webmaster Gard is a member of