Bridging Gaps In Safety Concerns

Captain Allan Gray, President of the International Harbour Masters’ Association, addresses disjointed safety concerns at the ship/shore interface

- Captain Allan Gray

When ships arrive and depart from a port like a piece of beautifully orchestrated performance art, an observer is likely to assume that there is good communication between teams on the bridge and on shore, that the ship/shore interface is up to speed, and that there are good safety standards.

The reality is that we are not always communicating well with each other, leading to safety concerns and practices of one party being conveyed incompletely or insufficiently to other stakeholders. Safety concerns are disjointed and the gaps need to be bridged.

BREAK IN COMMUNICATIONS

Imagine that there is a new class of ship turning up at a port. The pilots did not get any information about it until about a week ago, when it was put into the system. Now they have to deal with a ship that is bigger, wider, and heavier than anything they have ever dealt with before. The moment the pilots step on board that ship, they have just a few minutes to understand the vessel — to walk into a team and perform as part of that team, and for that team to welcome the pilots and engage with them.

In this scenario, something has gone wrong: a lack of communication between maritime businesses and ports. Despite the number of companies who talk about communicating more effectively with the ports, communication hardly gets going early enough. The industry is constantly changing ships without consulting anyone, forcing pilots and captains to deal with the situation on the fly.

We have the technology that allows us to communicate more easily, so why are we not using it? Detailed information, such as passage plans and past incidents, can all be sent for the Master Pilot Exchange before the vessel arrives.