CHIRP Maritime has shared a reported event about an officer who regularly slept on the bridge during solo morning watches (0400-0800) and relied on automated navigational alarms. Several crewmembers witnessed this behaviour over the course of a week.
Sleeping while on a watch is a severe breach of the international collision regulations, and CHIRP contacted the vessel’s Flag State, which is investigating.
Normally, no officer deliberately sleeps on a watch, especially a solo watch. In many cases, the onset of fatigue creates this desire to close one’s eyes on watch and go into a deep sleep. CHIRP suspects that the individual is suffering from exhaustion to the point that their judgement is impaired, causing them to take unacceptable risks during their bridge watches.
CHIRP questions what working practices are taking place on the vessel operating without a dedicated lookout to create such a state of tiredness. Or is the officer deliberately ignoring their safety responsibilities and breaking the rules? Either way, the safety of the ship is severely compromised.
Lessons learned
- Fatigue — The incident report highlights the officer’s lack of concern about the severe lapse in navigational safety. Clearly, the officer is suffering from sleep deprivation and has reduced mental capability and decision-making. Fatigue kills: the company must take steps to manage it.
- Alerting – CHIRP was alerted to the issue, but why was the master not alerted? This serious safety situation affects everyone on board – speak up or contact CHIRP. The officer should be able to speak with the master and inform them of their fatigued state. This may likely apply to other officers and crew on the same ship.
- Culture — There appears to be a very poor safety culture on the ship, which may be reflected within the company. Does anyone care about safety? This issue would not have happened if the company operated a just culture and senior officers demonstrated kind leadership.
- Teamwork — Good teamwork by the officers and crew can assist everyone in challenging, unsafe situations. Looking out for each other and feeling confident about reporting personal well-being issues is a sign of good teamwork. This takes time to achieve and is driven by a good company safety culture.
