Title: From Chaos to Control:

How COASTAL TRANSPORT Mastered Incident Response .

The Customer:

COASTAL TRANSPORT LTD., a resilient operator of coastal bulk carriers and general cargo ships based in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, serving routes in the demanding North Atlantic.

The Challenge:

Their manual, email-based process for managing incidents was chaotic and inefficient. When an incident occurred, it created a flood of fragmented information, making it difficult to manage the response, communicate with stakeholders, and effectively track corrective actions.

The Solution:

They implemented PRIME Marine's Incident Management module to act as a single, central command center for all incidents, from initial report to final closure of preventive actions.

KEY RESULTS:

50% Faster generation of accurate incident reports for P&I Clubs and Flag State

100% Traceability of all Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA), ensuring nothing is missed.

Centralized all incident evidence (photos, statements, reports) for streamlined claims handling.

Transformed their incident response from a chaotic, reactive scramble to a structured, controlled process.

The Challenge: The "Fog of War" After an Incident

COASTAL TRANSPORT operates a professional and safe fleet, but in the harsh North Atlantic, incidents can happen. Their biggest challenge was not the incidents themselves, but the chaotic, inefficient process that followed.

"I remember a minor hydraulic oil spill on deck during cargo operations," recalls Ms. Sarah Evans, the Designated Person Ashore (DPA). "It was a manageable situation, but the aftermath in the office was chaos. The Master was emailing photos from his personal phone, the Superintendent was on a call trying to get technical details, and I was trying to draft a report for the authorities with half the information. We had three different versions of the story circulating within an hour. It was the 'fog of war'.

This fragmented response created serious business risks:

Inconsistent Stakeholder Communication: Providing timely and accurate updates to P&I, Flag State, and charterers was a manual, stressful process, risking the company's reputation.
Ineffective "Lessons Learned": Corrective actions were often just a line item in a final report. There was no formal system to assign them, track them, and ensure they were actually implemented.
Difficult Claims Process: When it came time to file an insurance claim, the team had to manually hunt through dozens of emails and separate files to gather all the necessary evidence.

“When an incident occurs, your professionalism is on display for the world to see. Our chaotic, email-based response did not reflect the high standards of our company. We needed a system that provided structure and control from the first report.”

- Ms. Sarah Evans,

DPA, COASTAL TRANSPORT LTD.

The Solution:A Central Command Center for Every Incident

COASTAL TRANSPORT implemented PRIME Marine's Incident Management module to bring order, control, and accountability to their response process. It became their single source of truth from the moment an incident was reported.

1. Structured First Report: The vessel crew now uses a mobile app to submit a structured initial report. This form guides them to capture all critical information immediately—time, location, a description of events, and initial actions taken—along with GPS-tagged photos. This creates a single, unambiguous "Case File" in the system.

2. A Single Hub for Investigation: All subsequent information—witness statements, investigation notes, superintendent's reports, external communications—is attached directly to this central Case File. Everyone, from the DPA to the CEO, can see the same, up-to-date information.

3. Integrated Corrective & Preventive Action (CAPA) Management: The most powerful change was the CAPA workflow. Directly from the investigation's findings, the DPA can create specific, actionable tasks (e.g., "Revise hydraulic hose inspection procedure"), assign them to a person or department, set a due date, and the system automatically tracks it. The system sends reminders and escalates overdue actions until they are verified and closed.

The Results: A New Standard of Professionalism and Control

The platform transformed their incident management from a source of stress into a demonstration of their professionalism.

1. Fast and Professional Stakeholder Reporting With all verified information in one place, generating a formal, accurate report for their P&I Club or Flag State became a one-click process. This reduced the time for external reporting by 50% and ensured all stakeholders received consistent, professional communication.

2. Ensuring Lessons Are Truly Learned The integrated CAPA management system provided 100% traceability on all follow-up actions. This closed the loop, ensuring that every incident led to a tangible improvement in the company's Safety Management System and preventing similar incidents from recurring.

3. Streamlined and Simplified Claims Handling When it came time to handle insurance claims, the team no longer had to search for evidence. The entire history of the incident, from the first photo to the final repair invoice, was organized in a single, secure digital file, dramatically simplifying and accelerating the claims process.

“PRIME Marine brought calm and control to our most stressful situations. We now have a predictable, professional process for managing any incident. Our stakeholders are more confident in us, and I have confidence that our corrective actions are actually being completed. The system doesn't just record the past; it helps us build a safer future.”