During a tanker cargo-transfer check, I asked a junior officer where electrical isolation was maintained. The answer was, “The bonding cable is connected.”
That is not the same thing.
Bonding maintains continuity within the ship. Isolation prevents current passing between ships or between ship and shore. Even with an insulating flange or discontinuous hose, a gangway, crane wire or metallic hose support may bypass the isolation.
How often is the complete arrangement physically traced before transfer, rather than answered from the checklist?