Anticipating assessment: What you can expect
Navigation assessments are becoming increasingly common on ships’ bridges as shipowners improve their operations. Captain Yves Vandenborn AFNI of The Standard Club says deck officers should welcome them as a key part of their continuing professional development.
Navigation assessments have been carried out on ships’ bridges for many years – and they are certainly nothing to be afraid of. The key point is that assessments are a lot more positive, constructive and interactive than a pass-or-fail, box-ticking audit. The fully independent assessor will spend a number of days closely observing how the bridge team performs during a short sea passage, including how they communicate with each other (and the pilot), how they check and use equipment and how well they follow operational and record-keeping procedures.
According to The Nautical Institute, ‘five days onboard is the ideal time as this allows full observation of the watch-keepers, gives time for several group training and discussion sessions and enables both night-time and daytime observations.’ The Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) says, ‘Assessments should last as long as is necessary for an in-depth assessment of the navigational practices and skill sets of the bridge team to take place.’ It will not always be possible or costeffective for the assessor to stay onboard for five days, but The Standard Club considers two days to be a bare minimum requirement for any navigation assessment to be worthwhile.
Why assessments are needed
Navigation-based accidents now account for 38% of maritime casualties, according to the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). Nearly all these accidents occur on ships with International Safety Management (ISM) Code-compliant safety management systems (SMS) and involve deck officers certified competent according to The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW).
Clearly there is a gap between ISM/ STCW aspirations and reality. There are various reasons for this but, in The Standard Club’s opinion, a key issue is deck officers having insufficient experience, which means they can lack the knowledge and confidence to do things properly. We have been conducting our own navigation risk assessments for many years and witnessed a lot of non-SMS-compliant behaviour at all levels in the bridge team.
Interestingly, when hazardous behaviour has been observed in inexperienced junior deck officers, it has frequently occurred with the silent approval of senior deck officers present on the bridge. Examples include:
- Failure to do routine instrument checks
- Poor record-keeping
- Over-reliance on a single navigation aid
- Failure to cross-check ARPA data
- Failure to use visual safety techniques
- Allowing manpower levels to drop to unsafe levels during berthing
- Failure to challenge pilots during pilotage
- Relying on auto-pilot in confined waters
An independent and highly experienced navigation assessor will be able to spot these issues and others to offer invaluable mentoring and advice to all members of the bridge team, Master included. This includes encouraging senior deck officers to be more proactive in sharing the benefit of their experience and knowledge with juniors.
Why you should take an active part
Your ship may not have had a major incident and therefore seem successful in terms of safety but, in reality the safety systems may never have been properly tested. A navigation assessment will almost inevitably identify weaknesses that need to be addressed for your own safety and for everyone else onboard.
It is important to note that navigation assessors are not out to ‘get’ anyone. The Nautical Institute says assessors should, ‘approach the task in a way that doesn’t demotivate people and maintains morale,’ and, ‘encourage crews to be truthful … confident there will be no disciplinary action resulting from the process.’
OCIMF adds that assessors should, ‘make sure that the bridge team does not feel threatened or targeted,’ and, ‘reassure personnel that the aim of the assessment is to drive continuous improvement, including the effective interaction of the bridge team members.’
While you should do your job as best you can during your observed day and night watches, the key is to behave and interact with other bridge team members in a normal, natural, everyday way. If the team tries to put on a ‘show’, this will be unlikely to last more than a couple of hours and possibly create undue concern as cracks in the ‘performance’ start to appear.
The key is to allow the assessor to see things for what they are, including the negative aspects. Only then will you, your fellow seafarers and the shore team get meaningful, practical feedback on what needs to be improved and how. As OCIMF says, ‘Both good and weaker behaviours should be communicated to the team. Any gaps or weak behaviours should be discussed in an open manner. The emphasis should be on coaching, rather than embarrassing or criticising any bridge team members.’
How assessments will help you
The assessor’s feedback will provide you and your colleagues with invaluable continuing professional development advice. As well as offering an independent confirmation of your areas of competence, it will also identify possible knowledge or skills gaps. This in turn will provide a clear roadmap for your future training and career development.
As with every profession, deck officers should always be open to further learning and evaluation of their performance. In particular, you should not hesitate to ask navigation assessors for immediate feedback on your performance or skills, as well as being truthful and honest in your responses to them.
In summary, deck officers at all levels should not feel nervous about the prospect of a navigation assessment. You and your colleagues should welcome the rare opportunity to have an independent expert onboard who is trying to help you improve what you do, make your job less stressful and make your ship a safer place to be.
Above all, a navigation assessment will help you move forward in your career by confirming what you do well and identifying the areas where you need further development to proceed to the next level.
While there has been some variable quality in how assessments have been conducted in the past, there are now not one but two sets of industry best-practice guidelines. The Nautical Institute led the way with its 96-page guide in 2016 and this was followed by Oil Companies International Marine Forum’s (OCIMF) 76-page version in 2018. The two guides are broadly similar in their advice:
1. Gale H, Navigation Assessments: A guide to best practice, The Nautical Institute, 2018.
2. OCIMF, A Guide to Best Practice for Navigation Assessments and Audits, 2018, available at: https://www.ocimf.org/media/105826/A-Guide-to-Best-Practice-forNavigational-Assessments-and-Audits.pdf.