Keeping on top of the skills
Although these days everyone points to the human element’s contribution to jeopardy, technology isn’t bullet proof either.
“Dynamic Positioning is like all computer based systems, it is susceptible to failure, either through climatic conditions masking a signal or because of a software error. And when it does, it can be quite dramatic,” says Captain Torry of London Offshore Consultants. So crews need to clock up experience of what to do if something goes wrong.
One notable incident involved the Bibby Topaz. When the support vessel drifted from station, although one working diver managed to escape to the dive bell, the other had his umbilical snared and severed, leaving him stranded on the sea bottom with his air running out. Luckily the captain managed to get the Topaz back on station in time to save him, but it was a close run thing, with the stranded diver losing consciousness.
Capt Torry points out: “It’s fairly simple: if people aren’t used to driving the vessel manually, they may not be versed in how to react in the event of a malfunction and this can be the moment you really need to respond pretty quickly.”
DP systems handle nine out of 10 station keeping tasks now, and while some companies have manual training for their seagoing personnel, the issue of ‘use it or lose it’ remains. “A training culture may be good, but it’s a pressured environment out there and crews need to be allowed sufficient time for practicing this skill set, he says. “Training can be completed, the certificate stamped, but if you don’t get a chance to exercise the ability it will be lost.”
According to Captain Torry there is another, related slide in focus to be wary of. “I’ve seen a vessel’s crew sitting on chairs on the bridge, looking at the information on the screens in front of them rather than physically checking what is actually happening outside the window”, he explains. His point is that all technology has an inherent trap that needs to be consciously avoided. Simply put, this is “over-reliance on the kit”.
He adds: “Certainly when I trained what I took part in was clearly an ‘electronics aids to navigation’ course, not a navigation course. By this I mean that there’s a leaning towards using these systems as the absolute rather than an aid.”
Obviously, this assumption is problematic. “There’s an awful lot targets that most likely won’t show up on an electronic chart, such as smaller pleasure craft. There are also times when the display data can lead you astray, not because of failures, though that can happen, but because the data can be hidden. Crew simply need to be able to check.”
By Stevie Knight
