Foils fitting failure

The design of a passenger ship was undertaken by a naval architect, who was appointed by a ship yard. Once the ship entered service, a number of problems were reported by the operator.

ITIC appointed a technical advisor, who stated that the main issue concerned the way that the foils were fitted onto the vessel’s hull. The naval architect had designed the fittings for the foils. Although the design had been used on similar passenger vessels and had worked well, this particular vessel was providing a regular service in shallower and rougher waters. The additional forces of the operating conditions had not been taken into account at the design stage, despite being included in the original specification.

The technical advisor recommended that the architect should contribute further towards the repair costs, before the vessel lost a foil.

ITIC agreed that repairs should be made to avoid the matter escalating. The final cost was Euro 70,000.

In claims involving technical issues the appointment of an independent expert will often get to the heart of the matter quicker and with less confrontation than involving lawyers. ITIC will always seek to resolve issues without unnecessary damage to your commercial relationship.