Wilhelmsen announced that following the attacks that took place in Fujairah, they boosted their security measures to keep their owners and crew safe, highlighting the importance of situation awareness, as one should observe the situation, understand it and proceed ahead.
Specifically, the company noted that it is of a great importance building a culture that encourages situation awareness and improve decision making processes.
Therefore, in order for every individual to acknowledge their state of awareness, Wilhelmsen encourages them to self-reflect their state of awareness, following the operational guidance below:
- Maintain vigilance, all-round surveillance, look out and proceed at best speed;
- Plan navigation to stay out of Iranian water and coast and weather, safe navigation permit (WSNP) ;
- Monitor suspicious crafts, observe those that are heading towards vessel and look out for any suspicious activity;
- Report all suspicious sighting to port control, if vessel is outside port, report the sighting to UKMTO (UK Maritime Trade Operations) and Company Security Officer;
- Increasing reporting frequency to UKMTO or MSCHOA (Maritime Security Centre- Horn of Africa) and Company Security Officer when vessel is schedule to pass this area;
- Maintain awareness via local news media;
- Increase security measures to higher level;
- For vessels that are approaching coalition naval forces, bridge should maintain radio contact on VHF Channel 16.
Keeping in mind that nowadays the geopolitical situation changes and there’s an increasing tension, communication between onshore and offshore personnel is vital. Relying and acting upon each other’s perception is vital to achieve a pragmatic assessment of the current and anticipated future situation of the vessel.
Situation awareness is one of the most important element of good ship management and in Wilhelmsen Ship Management, it is a skillset that we hone on every individual.
