Editor Martyn Wingrove discusses a real-time training solution to prevent accidents and allay shipowners’ cost concerns
How can a ship operator ensure their seafarers have the competence and knowledge to complete their duties in the most effective and safe way?
That question should be on every fleet manager and managing director’s mind. In fact, it should be an issue that goes right to the C-suite.
The consequences of not investing in training and competence assurance could be a ship collision, grounding, or, in the case of a gas carrier, an explosion and major fire.
The potential human losses are incalculable. And viewed as a cold cash equation: could shipowners afford the asset casualties?
By way of an answer from the training side of the question, I will cite my recent interview with Transas’ Frank Coles who trotted out an old turn of phrase I have heard many times before If owners think training is expensive, wait until they have an accident, he said.
Ship operators’ and managers’ answer to the question is almost as familiar, and it takes the form of a question: how can we ensure that crew have the competence to handle an accident scenario, even when they have the required certifications?
A master with experience on bulk carriers, for example, is not necessarily competent captaining LPG tankers.
For evidence of the ship operator view, I cite the HSE and QA managers of Navigator Gas with whom I spoke last week.
The difficulty they faced was not only how to ensure masters with certificates and experience on non-gas vessel types could captain a gas carrier ... but also whether those masters and the other officers on board could manage crew effectively in an emergency.
Both sides of the debate will be pleased to learn that a potential solution to these dilemmas was unveiled in London last week.
KVH Videotel’s online Task-based Competency programme enables ship operators to assess seafarers against a pre-determined set of tasks and monitor their progress to becoming fully competent.
Having witnessed the demonstration, I can see how this system bridges the age-old cost-benefit conundrum that has stymied investment in training.
The online training system I saw is robust enough to offer shipmanagers added confidence that their seafarer employees are competent in their jobs, peace of mind that crew are trained to avoid causing an accident through negligence.
And crew who take part are likely to earn the trust of their managers in addition to a certification -- both of which could present career development opportunities and will certainly add skills to CVs.
Competent seafarers prevent accidents. Proper training saves lives and money. A viable solution is here, and those who don’t adopt it are playing with fire.
If you have any comments about this video or would like to follow up with more information on remote tug operations then please contact me on martyn.wingrove@rivieramm.com.
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