Asbestos remains shipyard killer

Kieran Jones, of Weightmans LLP, looks at the continuing problem of asbestos related illness among maritime workers

The shipping industry bears a heavy legacy from historic asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma, a cancer of the pleural lining of the lung and less frequently the peritoneum, is the most aggressive of the asbestos related illnesses and unfortunately it is invariably fatal. There has been an increased incidence in the UK and throughout Western Europe for several decades and the numbers are expected to peak at sometime around the year 2015. Alongside the widespread reform of the civil justice system that has been implemented this year in the UK, there are various initiatives in progress to improve the means by which mesothelioma victims can be compensated. The Mesothelioma Bill 2013 introduces a payment scheme for mesothelioma sufferers exposed at work who are unable to trace a solvent employer or relevant employers’ liability insurer to claim against and the Bill seeks to make improvements to the tracing system to identify employers’ liability insurers.