Ship sense - striving for harmony in ship manoeuvring

Journal article, 2013

Ship manoeuvring is something that many seafarers perform, although little attention has been devoted to this in research literature. The topic has generally been explained by members of the trade as gaining knowledge through experience. The purpose of this study was to identify which factors contribute to the perceived state of a ship’s physical condition during manoeuvring. Eight master mariners were interviewed. The data resulted in a division of a sea voyage into three different phases, each requiring varying levels of effort from the bridge crew. The results further describe how the shiphandler strives for harmony between his ship and the environment. This is accomplished by personal factors such as spatial awareness, knowledge and experience to handle environmental factors of context, situation and vessel specific factors of inertia and the use of navigational instruments.