All at Sea - The Navigator Issue 13
If you would like to get in touch with us, please contact the editor, Emma Ward at [email protected]. You can find out more about fellow Navigator readers and what they are doing on our Facebook page. We look forward to hearing from you.
Personal error management hints:
1. Be on time, always. For me, that means an alarm clock in my cabin. Running late means standard operating procedure is interrupted, and that can lead to departure from safety regulations.
2. I wear a digital watch with an alarm on it for reminders of important must-dos.
3: ISM checklists are super – as long as I manipulate the checklist, instead of the other way around! Many ships have the ‘Assume a Navigational Watch’ ISM on the chart table. Even though I know all the items to check by rote memory, I walk around with the laminated checklist anyway.
John Carlisle MNI
My first layer of defence is my internal alarm system. It is usually based on some unconscious awareness of something missed, something awry. When you get that feeling, invariably something IS wrong. The moment you should call the Captain to the bridge is as soon as your brain says, “Hmmm, should I call the Captain?” Do not wait until it is too late.
As a Bridge Watch Officer, we should not only speak up when we see errors or omissions occur, but we should encourage those in our team to speak up if they see something that is one of those tell-tale things that seem out of the ordinary. NEVER be afraid to speak up. Errors occur to all of us, inexperienced and experienced alike. Catching inevitable mistakes is part of our daily and professional lives.
Captain David (Duke) Snider FNI FRGS
Most newly joined officers face one common mistake. Shyness. It is very common to fear that people on board will judge you if they know that you still need to ask for help, but clearing up your doubts is the only way to avoid mistakes.
Nobody will question your competence if you call the Master in dense crossing traffic, or facing a floating fish market in the South China Sea, or a vessel not following Colregs. In my cadetship I saw a second mate of 10 years’ experience call the Master when he could not handle a situation with a vessel in the Malacca Strait approaching Singapore. The Master appreciated that, instead of jeopardizing the vessel and the crew, he handed the situation over.
Kumail Raza, Third Officer
Thank you for the heads-up in the June 2016 issue of The Navigator. I really think it’s important that all crew on board a ship are made aware of the consequences when connecting their smartphones to the ship’s computer. It is a big eye-opener that most of us ignore.
Jan Lester Aligante, Third Officer, M/V Warnow Porpoise
The ‘NAVIGATOR’ – an acrostic poem N - Nautical information
A - Admiralty updates
V - Views of professionals on relevant topics
I - IMO news and updates G - GMDSS updates
A - Accident investigation reports
T - Take 10 on core topics of each issue
O - Offshore oil and gas operation updates
R - Resource of safe navigation data.
Alok Lambert, Second Officer, Josephine Maersk
Editor’s note: What a fantastic poem, thanks for sending it in.
I’m currently serving as a Junior Officer on board the motor tanker, Sabrewing. Since I was a cadet, The Navigator has helped me hone my theoretical knowledge on board and ashore. It has taught me that it is better to internalize than to memorise!
Frank Francisco, Third Officer, M/T Sabrewing
We are always interested in hearing your views on the important topics discussed in this publication.
Contact the editor, Emma Ward at [email protected], or look out for the LinkedIn discussion.
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