“Holding on to tight" - is procedural compliance overriding "good seamanship"?

Other conference contribution, 2019

Shipping as a very diverse domain. Seagoing vessels are sociotechnical systems that comprise a  large  variety  of  ships  tankers,  cruise  liners,  container  ships,  bulkers,  tug  boats,  military  vessels, fishing boats, sailing on the high seas and along coasts and rivers. Most of the vessels in    international  trade  rely  on  international  rules,  codes  and  regulations.  The  technical,  operational and commercial differences are enormous and this is recognized in the preamble to International Safety Management code (ISM)”...no two shipping companies or shipowners are the same, and that ships operate under a wide range of different conditions...”. However, the implementation of the code follows an industry best practice approach striving to be compliant thus resulting in a dangerous conformity. Talking to practitioners, there is a growing frustration and detachment as procedures are not adjusted to their actual everyday working life.  The advancement of technology has brought changes to the design and operation of ships. The need  to  exercise  care  when  introducing  change is  recognized  by  the  International  Maritime  Organization  (IMO).  Trade  efficiency  and  cost  cutting  have  been  driving  this  change  leading  to an imbalance of the impact on personnel on board. With smaller crews and new technology, the  need  for  training  and  coordination  increases  but  there  is  a  reluctance  from  the  industry  to  invest in training that is not mandatory through international rules or guidelines. Further, despite the  acknowledgement  by  IMO  of  the  human  element  as  being  the  last  safeguard  in  maritime  operations, there is a lack of an understanding for the positive contribution of personnel onboard to operational safety.This presentation will address two different examples on how to create safe and efficient ship operations  using  the  concept  of  joint  activity.  The  cruise  industry  has,  with  recognition  from  Cruise  Lines  International  Association  (CLIA),  adopted  a  policy  with  recurrent  training  and  assessment working with harmonized standing operating procedures, techn ical systems train in g and  efforts  ensuring  good  teamwork.  The  tanker  industry  has,  through  the  Oil  Companies  International Marine Forum (OCIMF), a Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE) that focus the  awareness  on  the  importance  of  meeting  satisfactory  tanker  quality  and  ship  safety  standards.  Finally,  these  examples  and  especially  the  implementation  of  the  efforts  made  in  relation to the idea of procedural compliance and a resilience perspective, will be discussed.