A sampling of news, topics and trivia from across the internet. The crew here at the Maritime Safety Innovation Lab have compiled a few of the stories, trends, theories and anecdotes that crossed our inboxes, feeds and minds over the weekend.
In October 2022, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) published Maritime Safety Awareness Bulletin 16/2022 providing insights on the importance of planned maintenance by detailing a case study, inspection data and more.
Due to the complex nature of the maritime working environment, maintenance-related issues are often a result of interactions between organisational factors and latent conditions.
Fast turnaround times in ports put crew under immense pressure, leaving little or no time to complete
critical checks and verifications. This can lead to gaps in maintenance due to time constraints.
Scarce resources mean crew and operators frequently have to make a trade-off between the time and effort taken to prepare for a task, and the time and effort expended doing it. Trade-offs involving shortcuts may allow the ship to be operational more quickly, but at the expense of thoroughness and safety.
- Effective and regular maintenance will result in fewer machinery failures and breakdowns. This in turn will minimise the rate of operational delays and serious incidents.
- Maintenance requires a systemic approach and should form part of the operator’s safety management system
- Introduce specific measures to identify and mitigate risks to assure the continued reliability of equipment, machinery and systems.
- Investigate technical deficiencies and failures to minimise the risk of future occurrences.
- Ensure appropriate resources are available to carry out an effective maintenance schedule.
What is Psychological First Aid?
Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence-informed approach that is built on the concept of human resilience. PFA aims to reduce stress symptoms and assist in a healthy recovery following a traumatic event, natural disaster, public health emergency, or even a personal crisis
The International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) has published a poster with Consultant Clinical Psychologist Dr. Pennie Blackburn.
This poster offers psychological first aid tips to help seafarers identify and cope with signs of stress in themselves and others. It also signposts a number of organisations providing support to seafarers around the world.
If you want to learn more about psychological first aid, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) offers a free online course. While geared more towards shoreside disaster response, the concepts and techniques could be applicable in the maritime industry.
Captain Philip Subin of Mariner’s Update has published a Loitering Munitions Circular. In this, various types of drones that could be used against vessels, methods of identification and possible courses of action are discussed. With the increased prevalence of drone warfare worldwide and the extensive use of them by Houthi rebels in Yemen, it behooves the modern mariner to be aware and take care of what they are able.
