NTSB issued an investigation report on the contact of the bulk carrier ‘Shandong Fu En’ with the Ergon-St. James Terminal Wharf, on the Lower Mississippi River, in April 2018. The report highlighted poor judgement resulting from fatigue as key cause of the incident.
Working onboard a ship is a routine; Seafarers – regardless their ranking – live, interact and sometimes perform functions in the same place. Fatigue can trigger sadness and vice versa while active engagement in social life onboard has a real and positive impact on seafarer’s welfare.
Good quality sleep is critical for people working onboard and in this context, shipping organizations need to take the first step and implement control measures in order to minimize any interruptions to seafarers’ sleep. The best way to control the health and safety risks arising from fatigue is to eliminate the factors causing fatigue at the source.
Resilience is a term that is widely known during the last years and refers to the ability of an organization to anticipate, prepare for, respond and adapt to incremental change and sudden disruptions in order to survive and prosper. Namely, the term reaches beyond risk management towards a more holistic view of business health and success.
Prescribed hours of work and rest limits set out in IMO and ILO Conventions are considered to be the primary fatigue risk management requirements, setting minimum standards of compliance in international shipping. The industry needs more defensive layers than the hours of work and rest regulations to manage the risks of fatigue at sea.
Latest Safety and Shipping Review report by Allianz fears that industry could see an increase in human error and claims related to fatigue or a lack of crew engagement. Besides, human error remains a key safety issue and an underlying factor in many claims and fatigue is considered the main contributory factor in such incidents.
In its newly Safety Digest, UK MAIB discusses of a high-speed passenger ferry which escaped serious injury when the ferry struck a landing pontoon at speed, while it had 110 passengers and four crew on board.
Höegh Autoliners focuses on the importance of seafarers’ wellness when at sea, highlighting that is crucial to ensure that good mental and physical health is not only a matter for the individual but for the organisation as a whole. Seafarers face many challenges when onboard, travelling for many days; The long time away from family and friends is amongst the most challenging situations they face.
Fatigue is a hazard that affects safety, health and well-being. A long-term fatigue may result in health disorders (physical and mental), insidious onset, persists over time, multi-factor causes, significantly affects behavior and wellbeing.
It is almost 12 years since the bulk carrier ‘Pasha Bulker’ came out at the Nobbys Beach of New South Wales offering an unusual spectacle for local people. The incident is an interesting case study of inadequate communication, inefficient SMS, poor judgement due to fatigue and the objective cause of extreme weather conditions.
