Seafarer training

 A changing scene

In a previous article I wrote on the way that technology has changed the nature of shipping and brought new demands for training. Now we face a new technological challenge in the form of digitalisation and decarboniisation for shipping[1] and this will lead to new demands for training of seafarers.

Where should that training come from?

The International Maritime Organisation has always set the “minimum safety standards” for the operationf of ships under its conventions, particularly the four main conventions:

1.       The Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention,

2.       The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL),

3.       The Convention for Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers

4.       The Maritime Labor Convention.

Ratified by maritime nations it is left to the individual Maritime national authorities to implement and enforce the conventions. Maritime training institutions offer courses in compliance with the IMO conventions. IMO vets and monitors compliance with these standards but it is left to the national maritime authority to enforce them.

Another way that standards are monitored is throught Port State Control. This an inspection service of a maritime nation to check that foreign ships visiting their ports meet the standards set by IMO under its conventions. It is in recognition that not all flag states registering ships maintain these minimum standards of compliance. This has been particualr concern over some “flags of convenience"

It is a truism that technological change often precedes the demand for training to meet the technological challenge and the maritime sector is no exception. Whilst IMO provides the regulatory framework in which training is formed and some training guidelines it is the industry through classification socieiteis and national maritime training organisations that develop and implement training.

This has led to concern over the ability of the industry to keep pace with training requirements. The seminal report by the WMU[2] highlights the challenge.

One example provided within this report’s many valuable case studies, is of ferry workers who are expected to know how to safely charge and discharge a new battery system fitted on board their vessel. However, they find their training institution unable to keep up with the technological advances and its faculty unable to offer training courses on the new equipment’s safe use. Furthermore, the workers felt under such pressure to make sailing schedules that they didn’t have enough time to familiarize themselves with the new equipment.[3]

An upgrade of the global maritime training sector seems necessary.

A DNV report survey of seafarers showed[4][5]

that particularly officers felt they needed more training to meet the coming technological challenge and that the current IMO STCW training was insufficient to meet their needs.

For the two most urgent technological demands, digitalisation and decarbonisation there is a clear need for better IMO  based courses and the overall seafaring training model  embedded in MET (Maritime education and training) offered by academic and training institutions needs to adapt to these changing demands but remain based on general maritime subjects leaving the specialised technology training to training centres and operators.[6]

Looking further ahead, the automation of ships is leading to fully unmanned vessels operated by remote assistance from shore-based service centres. This will have a huge effect on manning and control of ships.[7]

MASS(Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships) has been the subject of scrutiny by IMO for some time and have highlighted 4 degrees of autonomy from shipboard seafarers controlling the use of automation to rmotely operated vessels without shipboard staff.[8]

Clearly the training demand will vary substantially and add further pressure for a revitalised education and training regime.

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[1] ‘DNV_Future_of_Seafarers_Report_web (1).Pdf’.

[2] World Maritime University et al., ‘Transport 2040’.

[3] World Maritime University et al.  page 8

[4] ‘DNV_Future_of_Seafarers_Report_web (1).Pdf’. Page 38 and page 40

[5] ‘Course - Ship Technology - TN203511 - NTNU’.

[6] ‘DNV_Future_of_Seafarers_Report_web (1).Pdf’. page 42

[7] World Maritime University, ‘Transport 2040’. Page 52

[8] ‘Autonomous Shipping’.

Maritime technological development

 Technology has been a major game changer in maritime affairs for thousands of years. Maritime historians recognise significant periods when the development of shipping and its global expansion has taken place.[1] From propulsion changes from rowing to sail, from construction methods that enabled larger vessels to be built and improvements in the navigation methods that led historians to label periods such as the age of discovery and the age of navigation.[2][3]

In later periods too technology has enabled major advances in shipping.

The Industrial Revolution at the end of the 1800’s was such a period when in a relatively short period of time massive changes in shipping took place.

Stopford^[4] summarises the development such:

“Between 1833 and 1914 every aspect of ship design changed. The hull grew from 176ft. to 901ft and gross tonnage from 137 tons to 45,647 tons. Hull construction switched from wood to iron in the 1850s, from iron to steel in the 1880s, paddle propulsion was replaced in the 1880’s by screws driven by steam engines. Triple expansion steam engines arrived in the 1880s and turbines from 1900. Speed increased from 7 knots per hour in 1833 to 25 knots per hour in 1907, and fuel consumption from around 20 tons a day to 1,000 tons a day.”

It is possible that such technological impacts can be identified as waves in the history of shipping development, waves of technology.[5]

In the 20^th century and today in the 21^st century can we identify such rapid technology impacts on shipping that could be described as waves.

The 1950’s and 1960’s might meet such criteria and I shall call that period one of “traditional navigational and propulsion method change”.

Prior to this period two technologies had already influenced ship navigation. Developed in the early part of the century, the Second World war accelerated their implementation.

The gyro compass replaced the magnetic compass and provided a reliable means to ascertain true north unlike the magnetic compass.

RADAR had been in development for some time but in the 1940’s the first commercial ships had this alternative means to detect maritime traffic and land[6]

So by the 1950’s seafarers were already using technological navigational alternatives to traditional methods. However they were not always welcome. A personal history supports this.

[7]

In thick fog in the Dover Strait as a newly certified third officer I was radar plotting. The radar was a screen that displayed “blips” representing ships within a 10 to 12 nautical miles distance. Radar plotting [8]involved measuring the relative angle from the ships heading and the blips distance on the radar and transferring the information to a radial paper plotting sheet. Doing this enabled me to report to the captain the potential risk from ships around us. I remember being very proud of my inputs to this serious hazardous navigation exercise. Not so the captain. “Stop playing with that new-fangled gadget and get out onto the wing of the bridge with binoculars and keep a proper lookout!! Suitably chastised I resumed my traditional watch-keeping role.

There is a clear implication in that little episode. There are consequences in implementing new technologies on ships, not least that all involved officers are suitably trained! I will return to this later.

Shifting maritime technology

[9]The Norwegian Maritime Museum mounted an exhibition, a part of which highlighted the technological changes of the 1950’s and 1960’s.

A series of six stations depicted the technological changes that have affected the mariner’s work.

1.       From mechanical controls of the ship to electronic joysticks and dynamic positioning

2.       From sextant to GPS

3.       [10]

From conventional propeller and rudder to azipod and thrusters

 

 

 

4.       [11]From paper charts to ECDIS

5.       From radio to satellite phone

6.       A shift from general cargo vessels to specialised ships.

all were described and illustrated in a series of physical objects and visitor-controlled screens.

Collectively, these technological changes have radically changed the work of the ship’s officer.

1.       Out with the ships mechanical telegraph, in with direct motor control from the bridge and unmanned engine rooms.

2.       Out with celestial navigation and irregular ship position fixing, in with constant knowledge of where you were.

3.       Out with rudders and fixed propellers and in with multiple azimuth system rotating propellors

4.       Out with paper charts and the chart room. In with constantly updated electronic charts.

5.       Out with short wave radio communication and in with VHF and satellite communication.

6.       Out with derricks and cargo handling, in with container and ro-ro ships.

The broader ramifications of such changes were huge effecting changing roles at sea and a new demand for training.

·         Many ships no longer needed harbour tugs to berth as they could manoeuvre themselves.

·         Port facilities had to adapt to larger specialised ships with new loading and storing facilities.

·         The need for high voltage maintenance on board ship for the azimuth propulsion system required a new engineer officer, the Electrical Officer.

 

These are just a few examples of the ramifications of that wave of maritime technology in the 1960’s had and placed a huge demand for training from authorities and shipping companies.

Now in the 2020’s looking forward to the 2040’s many believe we are on the edge of a new wave of technology in shipping.

Spurred on by the need to reduce fossil fuels in ships and the increasing integration of ship and shore in a global digital network the future looks evermore digital.

Digitalisation and decarbonisation were identified by DNV[12] as major drivers for change incorporating a range of new technologies into maritime activities.

The World Maritime University [13]identified some of the technologies that we can expect in the future.

“The use of smart and digital ships is currently expanding and will grow even further with the wider utilization of technologies such as AI, digitalization, machine learning and mature semantic and cognitive technologies. The future ship will be smarter; data-driven; greener due to flexible powering options; and offer full onboard Wi-Fi and digital connections through global satellites and mobile communications”.

The consequences of these new technologies on seafarer training and competence we will address in a new articles.

 

References

‘Azipod - Google Search’. Accessed 1 February 2024. https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=ba846a2fd35e5017&sxsrf=ACQVn09Ltio3-RdzfrnzYV36xY0rDAW0oA:1706782371347&q=azipod&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwibyM_n84mEAxWCPxAIHZIUDqoQ0pQJegQICxAB&biw=1121&bih=478&dpr=1.1#imgrc=U1etSuxAGKgL9M.

DNV. ‘Competence Certification’. Accessed 28 January 2024. https://www.dnv.com/Default.

‘DNV_Future_of_Seafarers_Report_web (1).Pdf’, n.d.

‘Dynamic Positioning - Google Search’. Accessed 1 February 2024. https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=ba846a2fd35e5017&sxsrf=ACQVn09dRdkZLQAC46tLemfL_pparDPbmA:1706782275142&q=dynamic+positioning&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwihzN-584mEAxXCPxAIHYdLAHgQ0pQJegQIDRAB&biw=1121&bih=478&dpr=1.1#imgrc=CffvuCj4orJtBM.

‘Ecdis - Google Search’. Accessed 1 February 2024. https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=ba846a2fd35e5017&sxsrf=ACQVn0-AAyEGljsNAH8v-UEFQQaiz6_YnA:1706782528177&q=ecdis&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwip3bOy9ImEAxVyGhAIHemcAdgQ0pQJegQIDRAB&biw=1121&bih=478&dpr=1.1#imgrc=jKXgj2AO3EHRZM.

‘Green Radar Screen - Google Search’. Accessed 1 February 2024. https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=ba846a2fd35e5017&sxsrf=ACQVn09IrGm7V92r9Quo22jQkD_vhj8e8g:1706782943017&q=green+radar+screen&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjAu5v49YmEAxUPFBAIHbMtBQ4Q0pQJegQICxAB&biw=1121&bih=478&dpr=1.1#imgrc=ajtk46IDIc2MFM.

‘Maritime History’. In Wikipedia, 26 January 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maritime_history&oldid=1199162693.

‘Maritime Timeline’. In Wikipedia, 22 September 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maritime_timeline&oldid=1176623803.

Quora. ‘When Was Radar First Used on Civilian Ships?’ Accessed 28 January 2024. https://www.quora.com/When-was-radar-first-used-on-civilian-ships.

‘Ship - Navigation, Seafaring, Exploration | Britannica’. Accessed 26 January 2024. https://www.britannica.com/technology/ship/History-of-ships.

‘Shipping, Technological Change | Encyclopedia.Com’. Accessed 26 January 2024. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/shipping-technological-change.

Stopford, Martin. Maritime Economics. page 29-30. Accessed 5 May 2022. https://asp.bibliotekservice.no/sjofart/title.aspx?tkey=55207.

The Maritime Executive. ‘How Radar for Merchant Ships Developed’. Accessed 28 January 2024. https://maritime-executive.com/blog/how-radar-for-merchant-ships-developed.

World Maritime University, Aykut Ölçer, Momoko Kitada, Khanssa Lagdami, Fabio Ballini, Anas Alamoush, and Peyman Ghaforian Masodzadeh. ‘Transport 2040 : Impact of Technology on Seafarers - The Future of Work’. World Maritime University, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21677/230613.

 

 

 

 

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[1] ‘Maritime History’.

[2] ‘Maritime Timeline’.

[3] ‘Ship - Navigation, Seafaring, Exploration | Britannica’.

[4] Stopford, Martin, Maritime Economics.

[5] ‘Shipping, Technological Change | Encyclopedia.Com’.

[6] ‘When Was Radar First Used on Civilian Ships?’

[7] ‘Green Radar Screen - Google Search’.

[8] ‘How Radar for Merchant Ships Developed’.

[9] ‘Dynamic Positioning - Google Search’.

[10] ‘Azipod - Google Search’.

[11] ‘Ecdis - Google Search’.

[12] ‘DNV_Future_of_Seafarers_Report_web (1).Pdf’.

[13] World Maritime University et al., ‘Transport 2040’.

2024- a troublesome year?

 

As I wrote my Xmas message for my friends, I found myself troubled by world affairs. It is not just the wars in Gaza and Ukraine but the global battle between democracy and autocracy and how ineffective the UN system has become.

I worked for many years both in and with the UN and firmly believed that world order and global support for the less privileged was best done by that global club of nations. Now I am not so sure.

Around us there are many examples of power hungry would be and existing presidents who want nothing more than to control their countries. From Hungary to Turkey, USA to Israel, Russia, and many other countries working together to improve global peace and prosperity is not on their highest priority.

A recent article in the Economist bemoans the ineffectiveness of the Security Council of the UN with its archaic veto system that allows any of the five most powerful members to veto proposals for peace and worse even when one of those five members holds the chair of the council, they can spread their version of events and then veto any change to a resolution!

The article goes on to state that some members no longer attend because the system is broken. Instead the G7 and G20 groupings of nations are becoming the forums to get things done. This not good as power just passes to the most powerful nations and those less well-endowed nations are left outside!!

We must find a way to mend the UN system, a global club working together is the only way to provide the economic and social stability we need in an ever more fragile world.

On another front a forecast by the Economist for 2024 is revealing.

Their view is that one event is likely to dominate the political landscape in 2024 and that is the elections in the USA. Nowhere else in the world has one country so much global influence as their effect on the current wars in Europe and the Middle East demonstrate.

Let’s hope the American people see their influence beyond the domestic “America first” perspective and use their vote wisely to retain a rule of global law and order that we all want.

A happy New Year to all and hoping for a less turbulent 2024.

Johnd and his blog:  https://jdship.blogspot.com/