Shipping needs to help salvors save their profession

SALVORS, the people and companies who specialise in pulling ships out of harm's way, gathered for the International Salvage Union's (ISU) regular December board meeting and salvage conference in London. Appropriately they get together just as the Northern winter sets in, with prospect of ships finding themselves in stormy waters off unforgiving shores.

For many years ISU has used the occasion to entertain journalists to lunch and to explain the issue of concern to the industry. Mainly that is done in convivial one-to-one chats over a rather good lunch in the impressive surroundings of the 14th-century Merchant Taylors' Hall. But, customarily, the current ISU president also gives a short pre-lunch speech.

Richard Janssen took over as ISU president in September. He is the managing director of major salvor Smit Salvage and has had 25 years' experience of the marine salvage, towage, offshore and energy sectors. He was part of the Smit teams that tackled many well-known and complex salvage and wreck removal cases. One of these was the Maersk Honam which was one of too many container ships that have suffered devastating cargo fires in recent years. In that case, five out of the 27 seafarers on board died.