Amid the continuing security threat for ships in the Gulf of Guinea, the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) Maritime Security Committee have produced a set of quick reference bridge cards for use onboard vessels transiting this area.
The collision highlights once again the need for more efforts toward improving Bridge Resource Management and addressing best practices for enhanced safety of navigation
Seafaring is a profession that requires ranks and duties to be specific, so that everyone onboard will know what to do, as several procedures have to be conducted at the same time; Thus, each one of these roles carries unique responsibilities which are crucial for the successful operation of a vessel.
New Zealand’s TAIC issued an investigation report on the grounding of the Danish-registered container ship Leda Maersk off the Port of Otago in June 2018. The investigation revealed that neither the harbour pilot nor the ship’s bridge team recognised that the Leda Maersk was deviating from the planned track.
A recent shift to automation and new technologies makes imminent the need of additional skills for seafarers to adequately respond to new requirements. In 2017-2018, the Shipowners Club ran a survey to investigate whether alarms on the bridge affected the attention and focus of bridge watchkeepers.
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.
The fundamental principal in Bridge Resource Management (BRM) is that vessel navigation and operation is not one-man show. BRM makes use of all available resources onboard (equipment, information, human resource) to ensure the safe completion of vessel’s voyage. Likewise in all operating systems, the navigation and handling of vessel should be protected by a single point of failure.
Digitalisation is throwing up daily challenges to the shipping industry’s established order with faster connectivity and enhanced functionality driving the transparency of information flow across almost every area of the business, argues Mr. Jan Thordan Hansen, director, Global Business Development, Sperry Marine.
Captain Hans Hederström, Managing Director at Center for Simulator Maritime Training, CSMART, and John Ritchie, Learning Management System manager at CSMART talk about the bridge organisation. They say that traditionally ships bridges are strong hierarchical organisations, however, this factor has contributed to a number of accidents. For this reason, Captain Hederström and Mr. Ritchie present a different type of bridge organisation.
Transport Malta’s MSIU issued an investigation report into the grounding of the Maltese registered bulk carrier ‘Marbella’ on North Reef, Paracel Islands, on 28 September 2017. The investigation showed that the bridge was solely manned by one person at the time of the incident.
