Waves Group introduces its system to reducing risk in incidents

Imagine: you’ve just received a call to say that your vessel has been involved in a major incident. Initial details are sparse – it seems that while nobody has been hurt there could be some very serious damage caused to both the vessel and some expensive port infrastructure.

There will be a lot of questions. Is emergency assistance needed and who can provide it? What caused the incident? Could the vessel be liable?

So how to respond? The traditional method would be to get somebody on scene to make an assessment as quickly as possible. But who? A generalist local surveyor? A specialist maritime casualty consultant? And crucially, what can you tell them before they arrive so they can be prepared?

Getting the early decisions right can make the difference between a professional response that protects your interests and mitigate the risk of having an expensive set of problems.

Leveraging the vast number of resources now available digitally, Waves Group has developed a unique in-house software system: CASPAR (CASualty Preliminary Assessment Report).

Provided in an easy to read format, a CASPAR report brings together all of the most relevant intelligence available in relation to an incident – AIS tracks, charts, weather and tide data, Vessel details, photos or videos of the incident, and many other considerations.

Those managing the casualty and those attending will then have far more insight into what has occurred and how best to respond with a CASPAR in hand, before they arrive on site.

The ability to turn data into meaningful information readily within the early stages of an incident can help to reduce risk while increasing the certainty of a favourable outcome.

CASPARs have been utilised in dozens of real-world incidents over the past year. CASPARs will be provided within 24 hours of instruction, although in practice most are with clients within 4 hours.