The results of a 32-month, part EU funded, 11 - partner research project into
fatigue at sea have been published.The project clearly demonstrated that
certain ship watch patternscarry an increased risk of sleepiness, which should
serve as a wake-up call to the industry,a leading maritime union official said
at the recent launch of its findings.One of the projects partners, Anglo-Dutch
maritime union Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson said the
union welcomed the results and urged the shipping industry and those who
regulate it to act on the findings. Nautilus welcomes this research, which
provides detailed scientific support to demonstrate the validity of our
concerns aboutfatigue at sea. No other safety-critical industry would allow key
personnel to regularly work up to 91 hours a week and this study offers the
opportunity to move to methods ofworking that are based on science rather than
socio-economic grounds.The shipping industry and those who regulate it cannot
afford to ignore these findings, he said.He was speaking of Project Horizon,
the findings of which have provided a first benchmark for understanding and
predicting how different watch systems influence the level of fatigue, or
sleepiness of ships officers. The research project brought together academic
institutions and shipping industry organisations (see table), with specialist
input from some world-leading transport and stress research experts.It made
pioneering use of bridge, engine room and cargo simulators simultaneously to
assess scientifically the impact of fatigue in realistic seagoing scenarios
that would be encountered on board a 40,000 dwt products tanker undertaken two
return voyages between Fawley in the UK and Rotterdam - a total trip of seven
days. During the simulated vessels laden leg, two grades of cargo were carried
in order to test the shipboard personnel in the simulated cargo loading and
discharge operations room. The cargo tanks were fitted with an inert gas
system. In total, 90 experienced deck and engineer officer volunteers
participated in rigorous tests at Chalmers University of Technology in
Gothenburg (50 persons) and Warsash Maritime Academy at Southampton Solent
University (40 persons) to measure their levels of sleepiness and performance
during the most common watch keeping patterns four hours on/eight hours off
(4/8) and six hours on/six hours off (6/6). Some of the Gothenburg-based
volunteers were also exposed to a disturbed off-watch period, reflecting the
way in which seafarers may experience additional workloads, as a result of port
visits, bad weather, or emergencies.Basically, Chalmers simulated the standard
three bridge watchkeeping scenario of four hours on and eight hours off and a
disturbed 6/6 watch whereby deck officers were in a state of 18 hours
continuous wakefulness. Professor Mike Barnett, associate director (research)
at Warsash Maritime Academy, Southampton Solent University, explained that
Warsash simulated both deck and engine room undisturbed 6/6 routine linking the
simulators. The cargo control room simulator was used while the vessel was
in port. Both voyages between Fawley and Rotterdam were simulated to be as
realistic as possible, including a pilot coming on board. The intake of
caffeine was regulated by only allowing four cups of coffee per day and no
alcohol was allowed during the experiment. The two round trips were then
compared.
Participants came from many countries and were taken from all age groups and
both male and female junior officers were used, all acting as 2nd or 3rd Mates,
as solo watchkeepers, or 2nd or 3rd Engineers for engine room duties. Those in
the cargo control room simulator had some tanker experience and from which
communications traffic was simulated, such as when undertaking bunkering
operations in port.
In addition, there was a Chief Officer and an AB on call, but they were not
present on the bridge during the watches. The deck officers were not allowed
to use an ECDIS and had no alarm systems to help them. A chair was placed on
the bridge to see if the watchkeepers would use it with mixed results.
Key findings showed the most marked sleepiness detected was in the 6/6 team
where at least one occurrence of falling asleep on watch was detected among 45%
of officers on the midnight to 6 am watch and there was also one occurrence for
about 40% of those on the midnight to 4 am watch in the 4/8 group.Watchkeepers
were found to be most tired both at night and the afternoon while sleepiness
levels were found to peak towards the endof night watches. Participants were
performance tested using a hand held computer(PVT) when they came on watch and
then again when they went off watch.
Performance deteriorationReaction tests carried out at the start and end of
each watch also showed clear evidence of performance deterioration the
slowest reactions were found at the end of night watches and among those on the
6/6 patterns. Routine and procedural tasks were able to be carried out with
little or no degradation, but participants appeared to find it harder to deal
with novel events, such as collision avoidance, or fault diagnosis, as the
voyages progressed.It was found, however, that the deck and engineering teams
developed a good working relationship. Social interaction was encouraged as was
deemed very significant. It was thought that fatigue would reduce peoples
interaction with each other. Researchers have used the data to develop a new
fatigue management toolkit Fatigue Risk Management Systems - for use by
shipowners and managers, seafarers, regulators and others, to help arrange
working schedules to mitigate risks to ships and their cargoes, seafarers,
passengers and the marine environment. It is hoped that these can be used as
part of the Safety Management System (SMS) within the ISM, Professor Barnett
said. It is hoped to develop a crisis management project, which will look at
how to manage fatigue in difficult circumstances. For this project, senior
officers, such as Masters, Chief Officers and Chief Engineers,will take part.
======== fm tanker operator ==========
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