SSG No 10 - Shipgaz

SHIPPING AND SHIP MANAGEMENT
Look out
for 2-navigator vessels
There are about 20,000 vessels below
5,000 tons deadweight in the world
merchant fleet. Of the vessels in
this segment that trade in European
waters, a majority is operated as
2-watch vessels, manned with two
navigators working six hours on, six
hours off, seven days a week. Studies
show that these vessels are overrepresented
in casualty statistics, and
this has been highlighted by the IMO.
April 26, 2007. In the early hours
of the day, a coaster grounds off
Brännö in the Southern archipelago
of Göteborg. Luckily, the incident led
to no harm for either people or environment.
The accident is being investigated,
but preliminary findings suggest that the
major cause was fatigue.
November 24, 2005. The Hondurasflagged
coaster Allora grounds in Lake Vänern
after the master having fallen asleep.
He had worked 18 hours that day and had
been signed-on for six months, working in
a six-hours-on-six-hours-off scheme, seven
days a week.
These are just two examples of accidents
involving vessels operated by two navigators,
the master and a chief officer.
Prone to accidents
2-navigator vessels are more prone to
accidents than other vessels. In 2003, the
Swedish Maritime Safety Inspectorate
conducted a study on 32 vessels involved
in accidents in Swedish waters. Based on
data from the accidents that occurred during
1997–2002, a “typical” fatigue related
grounding/collision emerged. The vessel
concerned had a tonnage of 1,000–4,000
GT and was built in the 1970’s. The vessel
had a crew of 3–8 people. At the time of
the accident, just one officer manned the
bridge, and in half of the cases it was by the
master. A dedicated helmsman was rarely
used, and a lookout, if any, was engaged in
work somewhere else than on the bridge.
2-navigator vessels were in a clear majority.
84 per cent of the accidents occurred
in the night, between 23.00 and 08.00 and
more than half between 04.00 and 08.00.
The accidents also occurred in heavily trafficked
areas.
A year later, the British Marine Accident
Investigation Branch (MAIB) carried out a
study on 66 accidents in British waters. 23
were groundings and in nine cases, fatigue
was considered to be a contributing factor.
Again, a study showed that 2-navigator vessels
were overrepresented, as eight of the
nine vessels were navigated only by the
master and a chief officer.
On the IMO table
Led by Sweden and United Kingdom, the
issue has been raised in IMO.
“Something has to be done”, says Johan
Franson, head of the Swedish Maritime
Safety Inspectorate and chairman of the
IMO Council.
“It’s not only a question of safety for the
individual vessel, fatigued officers constitute
a risk for all traffic and the environment”,
says Franson.
36 THE SCANDINAVIAN SHIPPING GAZETTE • MAY 21 2007
Pär-HENrIk SjöSTröM