Last Friday 07 Nov 2014, Nautical Institute's "Command seminar" on Navigational Competence was hosted by the Cyprus Branch in Limassol.
The Branch had arranged for a number of high quality speakers from the local shipping community and from overseas to present interesting and thought provoking papers (Seminar speakers bio, at the bottom). The turnout from the shipmanagement scene was very impressive.
Speakers included:
Steve Clinch, Chief Inspector, MAIB
John Murray, Director Marine, International Chamber of Shipping
David Patraiko FNI, Director of Projects, The Nautical Institute
Chris Adams AFNI, Head of Loss Prevention, Steamship Insurance Management Services Limited
Robert McCabe FNI, President, The Nautical Institute
Ed Verbeek MNI, Advisor Research and Development, Dutch Pilots Co-Operative
Captain Walter Wekenborg AFNI, Director of Training & Human Resources, Marlow Navigation
Costas Costaras, Head of Seafarers Division, Department of Merchant Shipping Cyprus
The topic of navigational competence is receiving huge attention in the shipping industry. The purpose of the seminar was to bring together key stakeholders to discuss this subject and hopefully to provide some solutions for delegates to consider, take away and use.
We would like to share with you some photos taken during the seminar.
Great seminar!!!
One subject that I would have introduced had I attended the meeting would have been "Assessment on a bridge simulator before being given command."
I had this introduced into Mobil Shipping Company in 1991 no one was promoted to Master until they passed assessment on a simulator. I devised and ran the assessment programme and can claim that it was successful. I had failures not usually on "navigational failures" although they did occur but on "communication"!
I believe we should adopt the airline and navy policy that no one gets to command a ship until they have passed a simulator assessment run by a competent person. The simulator operators were not happy about doing assessment, they considered their role to be training but I convinced Alan Swift at Warsash to join me in producing course and I believe it was very successful.
One thing it proved was that you can have the navigation skills but attitude and communication with your bridge team play a major part bridge operation.
very true. Now a days confidence in navigation is lacking. Often promotions are given without any practical handeling of vessel.Simulation experience as well as on board practical experienced must be given so that master in his first command is confident to face any challenge.