[BITList] Report on Fatigue at Sea

[michael J Feltham]

Another Report on Fatigue at Sea !


Mike
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MARTHA fatigue report is launched at the IMO

InterManager, the trade association for in-house and third party ship managers, together with The Warsash Maritime Academy, has presented the findings of its fatigue study, Project MARTHA, to The International Maritime Organization (IMO). 

Speaking at the presentation, Capt Kuba Szymanski, Secretary- General of InterManager urged the maritime industry to take notice of the findings as the industry recruits aspiring seafarers. The report highlights growing levels of fatigue, particularly among Masters and Watch Keepers, and noted that motivation was a major factor in fatigue experienced by seafarers. Findings of the report include:

Fatigue’s effect on Masters

A Master’s place on a ship is central to its performance, a claim which many would agree with. The project confirmed this and found a number of reasons for how a Master’s role differed from that of other crew members, including that Masters:

• Have more weekly work hours
• Feel that work in port is less demanding than work at sea
• Are far more fatigued at the end of a contract
• Are slightly more overweight compared to others onboard
• Suffer from mental fatigue, compared to physical fatigue suffered by other seafarers
Fatigue’s effect on performance
The performance of seafarers onboard is paramount to a vessel’s operation and efficiency. The study found:
• During interviews, seafarers pointed out that not being relieved on time was having an effect on motivation
• 48.6% of participants felt stress was higher at the end of a voyage
• Sleepiness levels vary little during the voyage, suggesting there are opportunities for recovery while onboard
Fatigue and the cultural perspective
The cultural differences Project MARTHA sought to examine threw up some interesting results and a clear divides between European and Chinese seafarers were found:
• European seafarers worked fewer hours than their Chinese colleagues
• Chinese seafarers on dry bulk carriers worked an average of 15.11 hours a day compared to European seafarers who worked an average 10.23 hours a day
• There is evidence of higher levels of fatigue and stress in Chinese seafarers, rather than European seafarers

Addressing IMO delegates and invited guests, Capt Szymanski said: “I sincerely hope the results of our research will be read and acted upon by ship managers and ship owners who will go on to revise their attitudes and procedures. There are a number of “low hanging fruits” which, with a little adjustment, could make a big difference. These are not necessarily costly changes – such as having seafarers relieved on time and organising work onboard with humans and not regulations in mind and engaging sea staff in decisions – but empowering seafarers to take care of their lives more than it is today.

“Our people are our assets and we need to develop a strategy whereby shipping is once again seen as a career of choice for tomorrow’s young talented people.
There is no avoiding the fact that the global fleet is increasing and more manpower is needed. However, we are demanding more from current seafarers rather than recruiting even more cadets into the market. Attracting new seafarers and retaining them will test the industry, but we cannot ignore these findings in making the industry an attractive place for aspiring seafarers.”

ICS releases Latest Flag State Performance Table

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has published its latest Flag State Performance Tablewhich can be downloaded free of charge.
The ICS Table provides an annual overview of the performance of the world’s flag states against a number of criteria such as port state control records, ratification of international maritime Conventions and attendance at IMO meetings. The Table is mainly intended to encourage shipowners and operators to maintain an open dialogue with their flag administrations with respect to any improvements that might be necessary.

ICS Director of Policy & External Relations, Simon Bennett, said:
“This year’s ICS Table continues to highlight the sound performance of all of the world’s major flag administrations, regardless of whether they are open registers or so called ‘traditional’ maritime flags. But in response to feedback from IMO Member States, our member national shipowner associations have agreed to some further refinements in order to make the Table as objective and useful as possible.”

In particular, flag states which do not qualify for the United States ‘Qualship 21’ programme have not been given negative performance indicators in the latest ICS Table.
“The list of flag states qualifying for Qualship 21 now varies considerably from year to year. We therefore no longer currently view non-inclusion as being an indicator of negative performance” explained Mr Bennett. However, flag states that continue to qualify for the U.S. programme are still given a positive performance indicator.

An important development in the previous 12 months is that participation by maritime administrations in the IMO Member State Audit Scheme became mandatory in 2016. ICS therefore intends to add a new field to address this for inclusion in its next Annual Table in 2018.

The ICS Flag State Performance Table for 2016/2017 is now being distributed among ICS national shipowners’ associations and their member companies, which cover over 80% of the world merchant fleet. 
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