Tag: fatigue

The NTSB issued its Safer Seas Digest, sharing older and new lessons learned as identified thorough its incident investigations in 2019. This aims to help mariners to view their operations with a critical eye and act accordingly in their day-to-day routines.

INTERCARGO expresses its condemn against those charterers in the dry bulk sector have been preventing much needed crew changes from taking place during the period of the charter, despite the ship owner agreeing to accept the associated costs.

Fatigue maintained its position among the key transportation safety issues in Canada, according to the recently released Watchlist 2020 by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). 

The Philippine Coast Guard reported that a Vietnamese-flagged cargo vessel ran aground near the Philippines' Antique province, after the officer on watch fell asleep.

Inmarsat joinlty with Shell Shipping and Maritime and Thetius announced the launch of a new ‘Open Innovation Challenge’ for start-ups and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) which aims to identify technology for the benefit of crew safety, health and wellbeing at sea, at a moment when COVID-19 has exposed the welfare of seafarers to global scrutiny.

Sleep is an important function to a person's physical well-being, as well as the most effective weapon against the onset of fatigue. When we sleep, our brain signals our body to release hormones and important compounds. To achieve a healthy amount of sleep, an average adult should sleep for about seven to eight hours each night. A lack of sleep may cause significant changes in the body and increases the risk for serious health concerns.

Tiredness is a phenomenon to which all humans are prone and no one is exempt, especially in the workplace, but the magnitude of its consequences varies depending on the nature of the job. In shipping, which is characterized by long shift hours, falling asleep on the bridge could lead to extreme costs, environmental pollution or even fatalities.

In a detailed guidance, AMSA highlights the importance of providing adequate sources at a company level to manage the risks of fatigue. Duty scheduling and planning to control work and rest hours is one of the critical issues in managing fatigue.

In a detailed guidance, AMSA highlights the importance of keeping both seafarers and the company informed about any fatigue hazards in day-to-day operations. In this context, open communication and feedback on reports about fatigue related events are vital in improving fatigue management onboard.

Fatigue is a hazard that impacts 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. Considering the hectic work schedule of seafarers, fatigue can of course be a significant issue.