Subscribe to our Mailing Lists (It's free!)
Thursday, May 29, 2025
SAFETY4SEA
  • Home
  • Safety
    • All
    • Accidents
    • Alerts
    • Loss Prevention
    • Maritime Health
    • Regulation
    • Safety
    • Seafarers
    • Security
    fire

    Third fatality confirmed after fire on oil platform off Angola

    India monsoon

    India: Mooring and anchoring during the Monsoon season

    crane operations

    American Club: Crane operations require precision and control

    seafarer abandonment

    ITF: Seafarer abandonment cases in 2025 to surpass 2024 record

  • SEAFiT
    • All
    • Intellectual
    • Mental
    • Physical
    • Social
    • Spiritual
    culture of respect

    Addressing crew shortage: Establish clear expectations for respectful and professional behaviour

    Book Review: Building leaders the MMMA way

    Book Review: How to avoid a climate disaster

    mental health

    MOL takes step to enhance the mental health of its crew

    Book Review: Building leaders the MMMA way

    Book Review: The Art Of War

  • Green
    • All
    • Arctic
    • Ballast
    • Emissions
    • Fuels
    • Green Shipping
    • Pollution
    • Ship Recycling
    • Technology
    MoU hydrogen

    New MoU signed to advance hydrogen transportation

    SGS completes wind propulsion trials with promising results

    SGS completes wind propulsion trials with promising results

    COSCO

    COSCO adds dual-fuel car carrier featuring solar panels to its fleet

    Isle of Man

    Isle of Man Registry adds eco-friendly tanker under its service

  • Smart
    • All
    • Connectivity
    • Cyber Security
    • E-navigation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Maritime Software
    • Smart
    digitalization

    New dataset aligned with IMO Compendium post-FAL 49

    Crew connectivity a ‘powerful tool’ requiring strategic deployment

    Crew connectivity a ‘powerful tool’ requiring strategic deployment

    New deal sees autonomous navigation systems for two vessels

    New deal sees autonomous navigation systems for two vessels

    cyber security

    CyberOwl raises alarm on phising and malware campaign

  • Risk
    • All
    • CIC
    • Detentions
    • Fines
    • PSC Focus
    • Vetting
    India monsoon

    India: Mooring and anchoring during the Monsoon season

    hull

    Libya mandates underwater hull inspections

    Indian Ocean MoU Annual report

    Indian Ocean MoU PSC Annual Report 2024

    Malaysia

    Malaysia detains container ship for illegal anchoring

  • Others
    • All
    • Diversity in shipping
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Offshore
    • Ports
    • Shipping
    • Sustainability
    • Videos
    norway

    Veson Nautical: Norwegian fleet is the global leader in sustainability

    offshore

    Offshore leaders collaborate on inclusive immersion suit project

    tankers

    Cook Islands registry questions ejection from RISC platform

    Drewry: Multipurpose vessel market faces multiple risks

    Drewry: Multipurpose vessel market faces multiple risks

  • Columns
    Philippines crew management

    Our people are our greatest asset

    decarbonization

    Maritime GHG regulation: Navigating the path to decarbonization

    DSG: Now is a defining moment for DEI in shipping

    DSG: Now is a defining moment for DEI in shipping

    Trending Tags

    • Book Review
    • Career Paths
    • Human Performance
    • Industry Voices
    • Interviews
    • Maripedia
    • Maritime History
    • Regulatory Update
    • Resilience
    • Seafarers Stories
    • SeaSense
    • Training & Development
    • Wellness Corner
    • Wellness Tips
  • Events
  • Plus
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Safety
    • All
    • Accidents
    • Alerts
    • Loss Prevention
    • Maritime Health
    • Regulation
    • Safety
    • Seafarers
    • Security
    fire

    Third fatality confirmed after fire on oil platform off Angola

    India monsoon

    India: Mooring and anchoring during the Monsoon season

    crane operations

    American Club: Crane operations require precision and control

    seafarer abandonment

    ITF: Seafarer abandonment cases in 2025 to surpass 2024 record

  • SEAFiT
    • All
    • Intellectual
    • Mental
    • Physical
    • Social
    • Spiritual
    culture of respect

    Addressing crew shortage: Establish clear expectations for respectful and professional behaviour

    Book Review: Building leaders the MMMA way

    Book Review: How to avoid a climate disaster

    mental health

    MOL takes step to enhance the mental health of its crew

    Book Review: Building leaders the MMMA way

    Book Review: The Art Of War

  • Green
    • All
    • Arctic
    • Ballast
    • Emissions
    • Fuels
    • Green Shipping
    • Pollution
    • Ship Recycling
    • Technology
    MoU hydrogen

    New MoU signed to advance hydrogen transportation

    SGS completes wind propulsion trials with promising results

    SGS completes wind propulsion trials with promising results

    COSCO

    COSCO adds dual-fuel car carrier featuring solar panels to its fleet

    Isle of Man

    Isle of Man Registry adds eco-friendly tanker under its service

  • Smart
    • All
    • Connectivity
    • Cyber Security
    • E-navigation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Maritime Software
    • Smart
    digitalization

    New dataset aligned with IMO Compendium post-FAL 49

    Crew connectivity a ‘powerful tool’ requiring strategic deployment

    Crew connectivity a ‘powerful tool’ requiring strategic deployment

    New deal sees autonomous navigation systems for two vessels

    New deal sees autonomous navigation systems for two vessels

    cyber security

    CyberOwl raises alarm on phising and malware campaign

  • Risk
    • All
    • CIC
    • Detentions
    • Fines
    • PSC Focus
    • Vetting
    India monsoon

    India: Mooring and anchoring during the Monsoon season

    hull

    Libya mandates underwater hull inspections

    Indian Ocean MoU Annual report

    Indian Ocean MoU PSC Annual Report 2024

    Malaysia

    Malaysia detains container ship for illegal anchoring

  • Others
    • All
    • Diversity in shipping
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Offshore
    • Ports
    • Shipping
    • Sustainability
    • Videos
    norway

    Veson Nautical: Norwegian fleet is the global leader in sustainability

    offshore

    Offshore leaders collaborate on inclusive immersion suit project

    tankers

    Cook Islands registry questions ejection from RISC platform

    Drewry: Multipurpose vessel market faces multiple risks

    Drewry: Multipurpose vessel market faces multiple risks

  • Columns
    Philippines crew management

    Our people are our greatest asset

    decarbonization

    Maritime GHG regulation: Navigating the path to decarbonization

    DSG: Now is a defining moment for DEI in shipping

    DSG: Now is a defining moment for DEI in shipping

    Trending Tags

    • Book Review
    • Career Paths
    • Human Performance
    • Industry Voices
    • Interviews
    • Maripedia
    • Maritime History
    • Regulatory Update
    • Resilience
    • Seafarers Stories
    • SeaSense
    • Training & Development
    • Wellness Corner
    • Wellness Tips
  • Events
  • Plus
No Result
View All Result
SAFETY4SEA

Putting Navigation back where it belongs

by Mark Bull
November 5, 2015
in Opinions
FacebookTwitterEmailLinkedin

Mark Bull, Independent Marine Consultant gave a presentation entitled”Putting Navigation back where it belongs’‘ at the 2015 SAFETY4SEA Athens Forum. During his presentation, he linked the ongoing level of navigational accidents occurring worldwide to what he described as the “unimportance” of navigation in today’s world. From the very first voyages of discovery, he took us on a journey to the present day showing just how marine navigation had contributed to the marine industry. He closed his presentation by offering a simple and yet minimal cost solution to this problem.


I have devoted almost exclusively the last 12 months to conducting navigational assessments on board ships underway at sea. This formed the catalyst of my presentation today Putting navigation back where it belongs. It is over 45 years ago since I commenced my career and now I feel that I have come full circle: back on the bridges of ships. I am back to my roots.

90% of world trade is carried by sea. Liner shipping alone contributes 400 billion dollars and employs 13.5 million people. As the former IMO Secretary General stated that if shipping stopped today, within one week half the world would be going hungry and the other half would be living in the dark. But, theres one discipline, which shipping depends upon and sets it apart from all others – Marine navigation. Without navigation, we would not exist. On the last ship that I attended, it was underway (being navigated) for 220 days of the year. That is 220 by 24 hours, when navigation was being practiced. That makes it the single most important activity undertaken by the people onboard a ship.

It is worthwhile going back in history to see the development of the industry itself. Thanks to those explorers and navigators, who found the world and opened up the trade routes that we know today. We can see Columbus first voyage across the new world.We can see Magellans voyage around the world and we can see Cooks voyages of discovery. Not only Cook did the discover, but he also charted what he found at the same time. As a point of interest, I was born in the same town where his ship sailed from.

RelatedNews

Third fatality confirmed after fire on oil platform off Angola

India: Mooring and anchoring during the Monsoon season

Putting Navigation back where it belongs

 

Compare that with today’s marine traffic density map, look how things have changed. Marine navigation is not free from risk. In fact, the original dangers are still present. Magellan and Cook were both murdered in distant lands. Seafarers continue to experience violence of this kind up to this day. But the risks, we normally consider with navigation are ice, heavy weather, grounding and collision. The first three are natural conditions. The fourth is man-made. For the consequences of those accidents, we can go back to the classic catastrophes:

1. Ice- Titanic – 1,517 lives were lost.

2. Heavy weather – Derbyshire and the Munchkin – 44 and 28 respectively

Now, I have to add the El Faro – 33 lives lost.

3. Grounding – Costa Concordia – 33 lives.

We must add the Exxon Valdez, which caused a massive oil spill and the wreck removal and cleanup costs. Costa Concordia wreck removal cost > 1.2 billion dollars

4. Collision – Dona Paz – 4,375 lives lost.

The largest passenger ships today have far more people on board than the Dona Paz.

 

Putting Navigation back where it belongs

These are some of the most notorious accidents in history. But, others are occurring far too frequently. Just recently, a gas tanker has hit a Dutch cargo ship and this sank. Unconfirmed reports stated that the Coast Guard found one body from the El Faro and a bulk carrier had hit the dock in Oregon and spilled bunker oil into the river. Three in one day, but the problem is thetime interval between the same types of incidents happening is reducing.

Sadly, history shows us that we do not learn from history. The number of navigational incidents continues unabated. What is worse is that the same type of incidents seems to be repeated at alarmingly short intervals. IUMI (International Union of Marine Insurers) have quoted that navigational incidents accounted for more than 50% of all Hull claims. Intertanko stated that navigational incidents were the cause of at least 50% of all pollution incidents. I am sure that P&I will have some similar statistics.

Here are some examples of repetition:.

1. The Pasha Bulker went aground in Newcastle right in front of the ports. A couple of years later, the Full City went aground in Norway.

2. Exactly, the same type of incident. Likewise, we have the Sheng Neng 1, which ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef and the Rena, which ran aground in New Zealand.

Nowadays, it is not on photographs, they are there for everyone to seeit on youtube -just type in collisions groundings or capsizes. Nobody is immune. Even the big names in shipping are having their accidents.

If we want to correct a problem, we really need to find the root cause. I believe that I have found the root cause of this malaise. I have done so not through identifying yet another deficiency or shortcoming, but rather a best practice and had this confirmed by a phrase contained within an industry standard text. We have collectively allowed navigation to become unimportant. It is obvious that existing loss prevention measures in place for safe navigation are ineffective. They are not looking at the big picture. Navigation is not inspected, measured, not discussed at a level commensurate to its overall importance. It is under the radar of nearly all within the industry. It is not even mentioned in the ISM Code. This situation has arisen through a whole series of what I call dangerous assumptions. We are all guilty of making assumptions. But seafarers, at least, deck officers, have been warned for a long time through the collision regulations. Assumptions shall not been made on scanty information.

On the ship I visited recently to conduct the navigational assessment, I found what I believe to be the solution. From boarding, it was obvious that this ship was different in a very positive way and I found the reason in the crew mess. There on the ships notice board was a letter from the chairman of the company explaining the importance of all the disciplines undertaken onboard and extolling the Masters, officers and crew to both maintain what they had achieved and reach higher. He also thanked them for their efforts. The policy statements were nearby, but this letter was by far a more powerful tool and the effects were plain to see. That was the powerful message getting through to the crew; commitment from the top.

Finally I had this theory confirmed shortly afterwards as I continued my ongoing research into performance of navigational assessments. As I went through the ICS Bridge Procedures Guide once again, I found in the introduction, in the very first sentence the phrase: ICS attaches the utmost importance to safe navigation.

So I believe the solution to reducing the number of navigational incidents is almost free of charge. We just need to make navigation important again. It has already been stated by the very international organization that represents ship owners worldwide. We could follow the example of a simple letter from the top of the company or organization. This would explain how Navigation is important to the very existence of the company/organization itself and it must take its proper place in the order of priority of the company business. I assure you that if this is done, all the elements that go together to make navigation safer will drop into place thereafter.

 

Above article is an edited version of Mr. Bull’s presentation during the 2015 SAFETY4SEA Forum which successfullyconcluded on Wednesday 7thof October 2015in Eugenides Foundation Athens attracting1100 delegates from 30 countries representing a total of 480 organizations.

Click here to view his presentation video

 

 

 

Putting Navigation back where it belongsPutting Navigation back where it belongs
Putting Navigation back where it belongsPutting Navigation back where it belongs
Previous Post

The carbon challenge

Next Post

Cruise ships now use low sulphur fuel while berthed in Sydney

Mark Bull

Mark Bull

Mark Bull commenced his career 49 years ago and is currently a Marine Consultant specialising in Navigation Assessments and Navigation Assessor training. He is a Fellow of The Nautical Institute, member of council and member of their technical committee. His company has just been awarded The Nautical Institute’s “Recognition” for Navigation Assessor – Masters’ Self Assessment. He spent 27 years at sea, including 5 in command; 12 years in shipmanagement in senior positions; 3 years in P&I Loss Prevention and 8 years as a consultant. Mark has extensive experience of the ISM Code; implementing the system onboard ship, training his crew and undergoing the first external audit (pre-convention). He then moved ashore where he was responsible for putting the entire fleet through the audit processes, reviewing Master’s comments on the system, amending procedures and re-writing large sections. He qualified as an ISO/ISM Lead Auditor in 1997 and – quote – has lost count of the number of audits he has conducted.

Related News

MoU hydrogen
Fuels

New MoU signed to advance hydrogen transportation

May 29, 2025
crane operations
Loss Prevention

American Club: Crane operations require precision and control

May 29, 2025
SGS completes wind propulsion trials with promising results
Green Shipping

SGS completes wind propulsion trials with promising results

May 29, 2025
seafarer abandonment
Seafarers

ITF: Seafarer abandonment cases in 2025 to surpass 2024 record

May 29, 2025
Vessel grounds in harbour
Security

Allianz: Key risks and considerations surrounding the shadow fleet

May 28, 2025
Philippines crew management
Opinions

Our people are our greatest asset

May 28, 2025

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Explore more

No Result
View All Result
MARITIME EVENTS

Explore

  • Safety
  • SEAFiT
  • Green
  • Smart
  • Risk
  • Others
  • SAFETY4SEA Events
  • SAFETY4SEA Plus Subscription

Useful Links

  • About
  • Disclaimer
  • Editorial Policies
  • Advertising
  • Content Marketing
  • Contact

© 2025 SAFETY4SEA

No Result
View All Result
  • Safety
    • Accidents
    • Alerts
    • Loss Prevention
    • Maritime Health
    • Regulation
    • Safety
    • Seafarers
    • Security
  • SEAFiT
    • Intellectual
    • Mental
    • Physical
    • Social
    • Spiritual
  • Green
    • Arctic
    • Ballast
    • Emissions
    • Fuels
    • Green Shipping
    • Pollution
    • Ship Recycling
    • Technology
  • Smart
    • Connectivity
    • Cyber Security
    • E-navigation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Maritime Software
    • Smart
  • Risk
    • CIC
    • Detentions
    • Fines
    • PSC Case Studies
    • PSC Focus
    • Vetting
  • Others
    • Diversity in shipping
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Offshore
    • Ports
    • Shipping
    • Sustainability
    • Videos
  • Columns
    • Book Review
    • Career Paths
    • Human Performance
    • Industry Voices
    • Interviews
    • Maripedia
    • Maritime History
    • Opinions
    • Regulatory Update
    • Resilience
    • Seafarers Stories
    • SeaSense
    • Tip of the day
    • Training & Development
    • Wellness Corner
    • Wellness Tips
  • SAFETY4SEA Events
  • SAFETY4SEA Plus Subscription

© 2025 SAFETY4SEA

Manage your privacy
We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. We do this to improve browsing experience and to show (non-) personalized ads. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Manage options
{title} {title} {title}
No Result
View All Result
  • Safety
    • Accidents
    • Alerts
    • Loss Prevention
    • Maritime Health
    • Regulation
    • Safety
    • Seafarers
    • Security
  • SEAFiT
    • Intellectual
    • Mental
    • Physical
    • Social
    • Spiritual
  • Green
    • Arctic
    • Ballast
    • Emissions
    • Fuels
    • Green Shipping
    • Pollution
    • Ship Recycling
    • Technology
  • Smart
    • Connectivity
    • Cyber Security
    • E-navigation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Maritime Software
    • Smart
  • Risk
    • CIC
    • Detentions
    • Fines
    • PSC Case Studies
    • PSC Focus
    • Vetting
  • Others
    • Diversity in shipping
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Offshore
    • Ports
    • Shipping
    • Sustainability
    • Videos
  • Columns
    • Book Review
    • Career Paths
    • Human Performance
    • Industry Voices
    • Interviews
    • Maripedia
    • Maritime History
    • Opinions
    • Regulatory Update
    • Resilience
    • Seafarers Stories
    • SeaSense
    • Tip of the day
    • Training & Development
    • Wellness Corner
    • Wellness Tips
  • SAFETY4SEA Events
  • SAFETY4SEA Plus Subscription

© 2025 SAFETY4SEA