Page 20: of Marine Technology Magazine (October 2012)

Forensics Forensics of the Sea The sheer magnitude of insurance claims year on year within the shipping industry is striking. The complexities that now come with these claims is placing increasing pressure on surveyors to employ ever more sophisticated techniques in their quest to determine the reasons behind an incident and ascertain where the liability falls. Here we explain the complexities behind marine investigations. Particularly highlighting how modern methods such as simulation techniques can allow accurate reconstruction of incidents with the ability to reduce risk and uncertainty. The authors highlight the importance of understanding the metocean (wind, wave and current) conditions at the time of the incident. Weather and sea states have always been the dominating factors of incidents occurring or revealing a weakness in a system on board a ship. This hasn?t changed but the availability of accurate data on such conditions has and must now be seen as an important aspect when presenting a case in court.October 201220 MTRMTR #8 (18-33).indd 20MTR #8 (18-33).indd 2010/3/2012 11:29:48 AM10/3/2012 11:29:48 AM