Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T05:18:17.775Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Watch-Keeping on Fishing Vessels: Can Electronic Marine Systems Help?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 June 2011

Stella Mills*
Affiliation:
(Staffordshire University)
*

Abstract

Human watch-keeping is necessary to prevent incidents at sea such as groundings and collisions. For many years, electronic aids to navigation have been utilised in watch-keeping but, with electronic marine systems becoming more sophisticated, the part they play in preventing collisions and groundings should become increasingly important. However, this article uses secondary data from the Safety Digest for 2008 compiled by the Marine Accident Investigation Bureau of the United Kingdom; eight case studies are used to show that electronic marine systems, whether integrated or not, are still playing a part in poor watch-keeping resulting in collisions, near misses and groundings. Primary data from fishing skippers of British based vessels have been used to confirm the findings from the secondary data that poor watch-keeping is often the cause of not keeping a proper lookout and that the watch-keeper has a too heavy reliance on the electronic aids. Brief suggestions are made as to how the electronic aids may be adapted to overcome these problems and thus to support the watch-keeper.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Navigation 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bell, Kathryn, 2010, ‘Watching the Watchkeeper’, Navigation News, July/August, 2010, 1011.Google Scholar
Faulkner, Xristine, 2000, Usability Engineering, Basingstoke: Macmillan Press Ltd.Google Scholar
Fishing News, 2010, ‘Lookout charge’, Fishing News, No. 5016, 16th July 2010, p. 3.Google Scholar
M. 1190, 1986, Bridge Manning, Watchkeeping and the Command of Fishing Vessels, Merchant Shipping Notice 1190, London: Department of Transport.Google Scholar
MAIB, 2008, Safety Digest Lessons from Marine Accident Reports 1/2008, Southampton: Department of Transport.Google Scholar
MGN 404 (M+F), 2009, Training and Certification Requirements for the Crew of Fishing Vessels and their applicability to Code Vessels and Large Yachts, Southampton: Maritime and Coastguard Agency.Google Scholar
Mills, Stella, 2007, ‘Perceptions of Integrated Electronic Marine Systems – A Preliminary Study’, The Journal of Navigation, 60, 191200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mills, Stella, 2008, ‘Fishing Skippers’ Perceptions of Integrated Electronic Marine Systems', The Journal of Navigation, 61, 643654.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillips, Richard, 2000, ‘Sleep, watchkeeping and accidents: a context analysis of incident at sea reports’, Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 3(4), 229240.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poulton, E C, Hitchings, N B and Brooke, R B, 1965, ‘Effects of cold and rain upon the vigilance of lookouts’, Ergonomics, 8(2), 163168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shneiderman, Ben, 1998, Designing the User Interface Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction, 3rd edition, Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley.Google Scholar
Skipper, , 2010, Private conversation with researcher, July 2010.Google Scholar
Stoop, J, 1990, ‘Redesign of Bridge Layout and Equipment for Fishing Vessels’, The Journal of Navigation, 43(2), 215228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar