Whereas other segments of the shipping industry, such as the tanker and off-shore industries, have already established their collaborative safety forums, this is the first time that leading container ship companies have come together to drive performance improvements in safety. Through collaboration, CSSF members will be able to identify common safety hotspots across the container shipping industry and ways to address the underlying causes collectively.

The founding members of CSSF are CMA CGM Group, Costamare Shipping Company S.A., E.R. Schiffahrt GmbH & Cie. KG, Hamburg Südamerikanische Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft KG, Maersk Line, Rickmers Shipmanagement, and Zodiac Maritime Agencies Ltd.

“We believe the time is right to increase the focus on safety in the container shipping industry,” said Aslak Ross, Head of Marine Standards and DPA, Maersk Line, and CSSF steering committee member.

Claas-Heye Diekmann, Director Quality Assurance & HSSE, E.R. Schiffahrt GmbH & Cie. KG., and CSSF steering committee member stated: “We are convinced that the CSSF will lead us to measurable improvements and will also significantly enhance the safety culture within the container shipping industry.”

BSR, a global business network and consultancy focused on sustainability, is acting as a secretariat and facilitator for CSSF.

Angie Farrag-Thibault, Associate Director, BSR, said: “We expect that in time the CSSF will become a voice for the container shipping industry similar to other safety networks for other industry segments.”

Over the coming year, CSSF will implement its mission to advance the continuous improvement of safety culture and performance in the container shipping industry through measurement, reporting and benchmarking, sharing best practices, and engaging with key stakeholders to develop durable solutions.

As an initial step, CSSF members have defined a common set of indicators for reporting on their safety performance. CSSF is now open to new members to join.

Source: CSSF