‘Too much paperwork’ is the cry of many mariners today.

This has been brought about, seemingly, by the requirements of the ISM Code, Port State Inspections, vetting inspections and port entry and ship/shore safety checks.....

‘Too much paperwork’ is the cry of many mariners today. This has been brought about, seemingly, by the requirements of the ISM Code, Port State Inspections, vetting inspections and port entry and ship/shore safety checks. In human element terms, increasing paperwork can sidetrack the mariner (especially the master and the chief engineer) from his primary purpose of working the ship. ‘Routine clerical or administrative work’ is one dictionary’s definition, but it would seem that in the maritime world it is becoming far more than simply routine.

Electronic paperwork (especially e-mail correspondence) seems to have increased the burden on the ship’s master. While onboard a 15000gt LPG tanker (managed by a very reputable company), the Master commented to me that he spends on average 3 to 4 hours a day on sending and receiving information by e-mail; he adds ‘one day I spent 8 hours dealing with e-mails - responding to a terminal message took one hour .......it is taking up my time; instead of doing Captain jobs and watching for the navigation, I am having to concentrate on the messages.’

He adds that on the tankers there are plenty of inspections, where the inspectors are looking for checklists. On one major inspection, he was asked why he did not have a specific checklist for the changeover of the bridge watch, despite having his own company procedures printed out on the bridge. On his ship there are some 22 checklists for assorted bridge, deck and cargo operations. He adds: ‘Very soon, you will have to have a checklist for going to the toilet!’ But this begs the question whether there is now a need for a checklist to check the checklists.

On a more positive note, he suggests that the use of software programs for activities such as routine administration, recording ISM non-conformances, the management of spare parts and routine planned maintenance, can cut down the amount of paperwork, but only if it is used wisely and if proper IT training is provided.