Studies say that the 90% of all accidents at sea are caused by the human factor. There is hope that autonomy can bring a drop in the number of collisions and groundings, particularly when it comes to navigation-related ones. But, what’s the percentage of accidents prevented by humans?
We tend to value safety performance only when accidents happen, why not before they happen? Talking about safety performance there are two terms that need to be addressed; human behavior and leadership both onboard and ashore.
The 99th session of IMO’s MSC has begun with discussions on how to proceed with a regulatory scoping exercise on autonomous vessels. MSC 99 is expected to touch on an extensive range of issues, including the human element, safety, security and protection of the marine environment, for different levels of autonomy.
In her presentation at SAFETY4SEA Cyprus Conference, Mrs. Christiana Moustaki, Senior Crew Manager, Fleet Management, insisted on putting people first, at the dawn of the smart shipping revolution. She said that today, the global supply of officers is forecasted to increase steadily, but this is predicted to be outplaced by increasing demand.
Our special column focuses on resilience, a vital issue for shipping industry – and other industries as well – given that the human element lies at the heart of the safety culture. This time, we have asked global experts to provide feedback on how to successfully implement a resilient culture in the industry.
During his presentation at the SAFETY4SEA Cyprus conference, Sotiris Kambanellas, President, YoungShip Cyprus presented key issues with regards to crewing in the 21st century, considering how new technologies are impacting the global shipping industry. In a constantly evolving world, even a more “traditional” industry like shipping is already changing.
Dubai-based port operator DP World partnered with US-based Virgin Hyperloop One to launch DP World Cargospeed, a new global company intended to provide hyperloop-enabled cargo systems to support the fast, sustainable and efficient delivery of palletised cargo. This is the first initiative of its kind in the world.
Capt. Yves Vandenborn, AFNI, Director of Loss Prevention at the Standard P&I Club, suggests focusing on resilience for the crew onboard rather than to competency only. This is the only way to understand the bigger picture and know how to respond to every situation.
Mr. Colin Gillespie, Deputy Director (Loss Prevention) at North P&I Club discusses the current and future challenges for shipping from the loss prevention perspective, highlighting what is required for keeping the right combination of knowledge, experience and attitude , thus having ‘the Right Crew’ onboard.
The official introduction of ECDIS in shipping industry helped solve many problems (paper work load, easy planning and monitoring, real time information availability etc) as well as created some, most of which are related to human behavior and the way ECDIS systems are used. To this effect, IMO issued performance standards for systems and training standards for seafarers. The STCW has been amended encouraging seafarers with bridge watch duties to be trained through the IMO model course 1.27 for Generic ECDIS training and becoming type familiar with the on-board system through a Company established procedure.
