Strategic study AGE AND LONGEVITY OF VESSELS

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The problematic question of the age of vessels

In the media and in public opinion, things are simple: We do not say that a ship is old; we say that it is decrepit; such is the link between an aged and a dangerous vessel. All those who use a vessel that is 10 or 15 years old, be they the ship-owner, charterer, or shipper, are deemed to be taking a risk. In the event of an accident their responsibility will be invoked, and this simple fact means that it will be considered as aggravated.

The measures taken concerning ageing vessels with a view to preventing or controlling their use due to their age are many, and come from various interested parties in the field of maritime transport.

These behaviours, which mean that vessels of between 15 and 25 years of age tend not to be considered or else strictly monitored, flow almost entirely from two dominant opinions. Tankers are considered as potential polluters of the seas and above all the coastline, and, in more restricted environments, bulk carriers are prone to structural accidents that result in their being ruined in a matter of minutes. And so, on the strength of these two cases alone, this behaviour is grounded in reason. But it should also take other points into consideration, which are less obvious in terms of their media and political impacts.

Unless there is accident bringing about its total loss, the lifespan of a vessel runs from its commissioning to when it is sent to the breaker's yard. This obvious definition shows the key role this decision plays in its demolition.

The crucial factors of the lifespan are examined in this stategic Analysis worked out by Louis the PENSEC, Barrister at the court of Paris and Former Minister , and Henri PINON, Consulting in Maritime Safety.

 

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