During the 2023 SAFETY4SEA Athens Forum, Dr. Michela Terrei, Psychologist, I.M.A. ASSESSMENT AND TRAINING CENTER, INC., pinpointed that in the era of Shipping 4.0, where technology and human expertise converge, situational awareness emerges as a critical factor in ensuring the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of maritime operations.
The most difficult part of my job as a psychologist was to collect information about the psychological aspects connected with the difficulty of life at sea. People at sea are a sort of social group of people, being capable of living a life of uncertainty, of loneliness and isolation; people that are completely unknown. This is well known from the beginning of the history of shipping. But this was not enough to let psychologists study this sector. In general, there is only a small piece of research regarding crew but in aviation; the maritime crew is not mentioned.
Nowadays, we are experiencing the 4th industrial revolution. Technology is everywhere, having an impact on everyone’s life. Seafarers has always been a difficult job with a lot of stressors; however, seafarers must now deal with a lot of additional stressors, this is called ‘the new techno stress’. This is the feeling of being uncapable to completely control the machinery that is coming into the shipping industry.
Key questions to consider for Industry 4.0:
- How is seafarers’ cognitive process influenced?
- How could safety be enhanced?
- How could crew’s wellbeing be safeguarded?
Technology promises better performance and safety but in my opinion the key to the success of shipping for net zero lies in integration of the human strengths.
Humans vs Machines
- Humans are better at: creative problem solving, adapting to change, dealing with new situations, making complex decisions and judgement, empathy
- Machines are better are: monitoring for rare events, 100% reliable performance, retaining complex information, maintaining skills without practice and erasing previous programming
Creating the perfect conditions for humans
The human factor science tries to design complex systems in a user-friendly way, with the help of different disciplines. We need different expertise to create a useful and comfortable workplace and above of safe. We feel safe when we are protected from harm or other non-desirable outcomes. From a human factor perspective, we can define safety as the essence of a system that develops the ability to control what happens next.
Situational awareness is a normal task for everyone and a never ending process in our life that helps us to make decisions. For crew members onboard, situational awareness has a great impact on ship operations and can be influenced by the following factors: human information processing, boredom, inattention, judgement, motivation, training, level of stress, fatigue and environmental factors.
Cognitive bias is an another normal task and at the same time, it can become a trap for our mind as our brain prefers shortcuts for preservation. Sometimes, we base our decisions in a ready conclusion, using for example the availability bias or any of the following:
- Anchoring: Relying too heavily on the first piece of information encountered when making decisions and failing to adjust adequately to new information.
- Sunk-cost-fallacy: The tendency to continue investing resources (time, effort, or money) into a decision because of past investments, even when the decision is no longer rational.
- Automation: Seafarers over-rely on automated systems, assuming they are infallible, and may not critically evaluate their outputs.
- Availability: People base their judgments on readily available information, often recent or vivid experiences, rather than more accurate data.
- Confirmation: The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information that confirms one’s preconceptions or beliefs, while ignoring conflicting data.
- Groupthink: A cohesive group values consensus and harmony over critical thinking, leading to poor decision-making in pursuit of unanimity.
Cognitive psychology aims to raise awareness around several processes that are normal to human brain, but these can become dangerous if they are not controlled in ship operations. Our brain has a big capacity to learn, to be flexible, to adapt to changing. Therefore, training is the future. However, we also need to change in the way we deliver training.
In that regard, it is important to equip the crew with techniques and tools to withstand future requirements. Virtual reality stands out as a valuable asset, offering immersive training and simulation experiences that can prepare crew members for various scenarios they may encounter. Equally vital are soft skills, which require evaluation and enhancement to ensure effective communication and collaboration within the team.
Mental health awareness training is imperative, offering insights into recognizing and managing stressors that may arise during missions. Mindfulness meditation serves as a powerful tool for fostering resilience and maintaining focus amidst high-pressure situations. Integrating biofeedback into simulator sessions enables real-time monitoring and adjustment of physiological responses, optimizing performance under stress. Additionally, evaluating emotional intelligence during psychological exams ensures crew members possess the interpersonal skills necessary for cohesive teamwork and decision-making. By incorporating these strategies, crews can be better equipped to meet the demands of future space exploration missions.
Above article has been edited from Dr. Michela’s Terrei, presentation during the 2023 SAFETY4SEA Athens Forum.
Explore more by watching his video presentation here below
The views presented are only those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.
