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Effective communication
The key to successful operations
T he ability to properly convey
information by word of mouth
and/or by written communication is
Modern communications are sup-
posed to make life easier for all.
Some ships bridges serve as the
and correctly reacting to people,
incidences or situations that are open
to misunderstanding due to cultural
important not only to the safety of communications hub, where can be differences. It is about empowerment,
ships crews, visitors and passengers, found not only the communications inclusion, leadership and teamwork.
but also to the wellbeing of crews. fit in accordance with SOLAS, but also
Effective communication therefore, is
fax machines, desktop computers, and
It would seem that the standard of the key to the successful operation of
mobile telephones. All these systems
English of some seafarers is so bad that any ship.
of course make communication easier,
they have difficulty communicating
but they can also have an effect on the
not only between themselves but
safe operation of the ship. How many
also with agencies outside the ship. To register for either an electronic
ship operators have thought to ensure
The aim of the IMO Standard Marine that restrictions are placed on the use or paper copy of the Alert!
Communication Phrases (SMCP) is to of mobile telephones and desktop Bulletin, please go to the Alert!
get round the problem of language computers on the bridge? website at www.he-alert.org
barriers at sea and avoid those We seek to represent the views
But, Communication is not just about
misunderstandings which can cause of all sectors of the maritime
talking, reading, writing, procedures
accidents. But, is it used at sea? industry contributions for the
etc. It is about exchanging ideas,
The key to improved verbal com- information and knowledge between Bulletin, letters to the editor and
munication is in the recruitment of individuals, and between crew and articles and papers for the website
seafarers who have an understanding management ashore. It is about the database are always welcome.
of the English language; in education provision of telephone communic-
The Editor
in the art of effective communication ations and email and internet facilities
Alert!
and in the correct use of the English to enable crew to keep in touch with
language in the maritime environ- their families. The International Maritime
ment; and in a programme of regular Human Element Bulletin
It is about the dissemination of
testing in their knowledge of the The Nautical Institute
information through professional
English language. 202 Lambeth Road
journals, company newsletters and
Today there seems to be more noticeboard bulletins to inform the London SE1 7LQ
paperwork than ever, in the form of crew of important issues that have United Kingdom
e-mails, questionnaires, procedures an effect on their professional
editor@he-alert.org
and checklists. How many of us have life, health, safety and welfare. It is
stopped to consider whether the e- about recognising, interpreting
mail that we have just sent to about
50 addressees was actually relevant to
all of them?
Perhaps the questionnaires and
checklists are necessary, but do we
need so many? Checklists are not
foolproof; if properly used, they can
be of considerable assistance as
an aide-memoir for ensuring that
nothing has been forgotten when
carrying out, for example, a safety
critical procedure. But, they can lead
to a tick in the box culture that, in
turn, can breed complacency.
w: www.he-alert.org
e: editor@he-alert.org
2 The quality of shipboard documentation
John Kenny, Worldwide Marine Technology Ltd
Problems with language competence may These issues are being tackled directly Specialist training in cultural awareness is
stem from the status of English in seafarers' by IMO, supported by the International also available separately and helps raise
home countries and the education systems. Maritime Training Trust, through the awareness of how and why cultures differ.
Some widespread issues in the provision delivery of IMO's Maritime Instructor
National cultures have been defined in five
of Maritime English training at academies Training Course (MEITC) internationally,
dimensions: when you apply this model
include the lack of: a two-week course to upgrade the
to a typical mixed nationality crew, the
knowledge and teaching practice of
- time allocated to Maritime English root causes of misunderstandings become
Maritime English trainers.
clear. By extending the model to corporate
- up-to-date resources integrating Mari- Employers have also come to recognise cultures with their emphasis on safety and
time English content with the Commun- the need to conduct English language compliance, we can anticipate when and
icative Approach to language learning assessment, including spoken English why deficiencies may occur on board.
testing at the recruitment stage.
- time to develop practical skills of The aim of cultural training is to develop
listening and speaking (with priority given By implementing English language strategies for predicting, understanding
to learning terminology) testing policies which set out competence and resolving miscommunications. As the
levels by rank, companies can set their world continues to shrink in the search
- exam systems evaluating spoken
own standards for global recruitment for both sea and shore staff, language and
competence
and training. Where language skills are communication skills training are essential
- a standardised qualification for Maritime lacking, assessment enables employers to tools to support effective teamwork and a
English trainers identify where further language training culture of safety.
4
The alphabet of effective communication
B reakdowns in Feedback
communication Exchanges of ideas, information
Can be due to faulty, incomplete, and knowledge between crew and
or imprecise information or data, or management ashore.
through failing to interpret a message
because of language, social or Gossip, grapevine
cultural differences. An unofficial means of communication,
which is normally founded on
Cultural understanding speculation and rumour; indicates a
lack of effective communication.
Recognise, interpret and correctly react
to people, incidences or situations that
are open to misunderstanding due to H andbooks and
operating instructions
cultural differences.
Ensure that documents that explain
how to use, maintain and operate the
ship and its equipment are written in
the native language of the reader, are
not technically complicated, and are Language barriers
easy to understand. Some seafarers may be unwilling to
Illustrations
admit their difficulty in understanding
and communicating because the
Use imagery, photos, drawings and commonly used language onboard is
cartoons to inform and illustrate, in not their native language.
Management seminars
order to reach out to non-native English
speakers - a picture is worth a
thousand words . A means of bringing together seafarers
from different ships and shore
management, to exchange ideas,
information and knowledge.
Display Noticeboards
A device or feature designed to For the display of important information
provide status, position, or condition to the crew, such as watch and station
information to the operator through bills, safety notices, company bulletins,
visual or auditory feedback. social events etc..
5
Paperwork
An abundance of correspondence (both
paper and electronic), statistical reports, Rule of the Road
The International Regulations for
Preventing Collisions at Sea. A form
of silent communication requiring
vessels to take positive action to avoid
the risk of collision, by standing on,
altering course or adjusting speed,
backed up by sound and light signals.
Otherwise known as the Collision
Regulations or Colregs.
Telephony
Active management policies
should be put in place to ensure
telephones (especially mobile
telephones) are not used to call the
and questionnaires and checklists can
master or crew at inappropriate
sidetrack the seafarer (especially the
times, eg when navigating in busy or
master or the chief engineer) from his
confined waters or when resting and in
primary purpose of working the ship, if a substantially different time zone from
it is not carefully controlled. that of the caller.
adequate to use charts and other nautical at sea is effective, an improved version
publications; understand meteorological may also have little effect, especially
information and messages etc. and to if training emphasises technical and
perform the officers duties also with a practical subjects, leaving insufficient
multi-lingual crew. The ISM Code also time or resources for English communi-
requires that crew should work within a cation training. Also, unless examinations
F or communication to be effective,
the adjective indicates whether the
meaning of the spoken or written word
common language environment.
Yet the STCW Code does not provide
for oral and written proficiencies in
English are standardised and monitored,
improvement is unlikely.
has caused the expected reaction, result indications of English proficiency levels
or effect. to be achieved, despite the existence of In the same way that competency
an excellent oral examination modelled certification for watchkeepers has been
In the seagoing context, and where
on the internationally recognised IELTS agreed internationally, so also should
English is a first language, there should
(International English Language Testing English training and examinations,
be no difficulty; however, where English
System), and adapted for examining ensuring communication proficiency
is a Foreign or Second language,
seafarers a system which appears to is achieved. Certificates of English
the subtle adjective, effective may
be unknown to maritime examining proficiency should also be recorded
be understood as meaning strong or
authorities. in the Seamans Record book similar
emphatic, not that it means complete
to the Certificates of Competency for
understanding. Teachers of Maritime English would
watchkeepers.
benefit from using IELTS as a training
For example, in face-to-face on board
tool. It would upgrade oral English Time would be needed for international
communication, when instructions
communication training generally, and agreement, to train teaching staff,
are given to a non-English speaking
would go a long way to establishing a introduce new examination procedures,
crew member, the response may be
common working language on todays and provide monitoring processes to
an agreeable facial expression, or nod
multi-lingual crewed vessels. prevent fraudulent certification.
indicating understanding, even a polite
yes sir. However, should the instruc- It is appropriate that the STCW 95 Code Yet unless new procedures are
tions not be carried out properly, is to be thoroughly reviewed. Those implemented, effective communication
effective communication is unlikely to sections concerning Maritime English is unlikely to occur at sea while
have taken place. proficiency must be given a full airing. miscommunication will continue to put
Many of us involved in this training would lives and ships at risk
Existing international regulatory codes
be happy to assist with rewriting this
should ensure that, at sea, communi- A Nautical Briefing by Valerie Short, titled Maritime
important section.
cation in English is not a problem; STCW English - valuing a common language can be
95 contains guidelines for watchkeepers However, since the 1995 version was downloaded from: www.he-alert.org/documents/
stipulating that standards of English are unable to ensure English communication published/he00620.pdf
incident or near miss onboard, then it will also go to the manned model facility in
be reported by the Safety Officer to the Ilawa, Poland for shiphandling experience
Master and Safety Committee, it will be on ride on scale models of ships.
fed back to the Company and the DPA Dorchester also runs its own courses in
who in turn will pass the details to the chemical and gas safety and in effect-
whole fleet by way of Safety Bulletins. ive leadership in the Baltic Marine Office
I am the 34-year old master of an Isle of
Man registered 22000 cbm gas carrier
which is managed by Dorchester Atlantic
We have safety meetings about every
four weeks, at which the Safety Bulletins
in Gdynia.
Company seminars are also regularly held
Marine; I have been will be discussed. - in the case of the officers, twice a year in
with the company for Of course, not Poland. These three-day seminars provide
10 years, having joined If the Chief Mate, for example, everyone attends an opportunity for us to get together
as a Deck Assistant in the safety meet- with the management to exchange
1997. I was promoted
has to go through five or
ings, so the ideas, information and knowledge. At
to master in 2006. My six checklists at the start of Bulletins are made each seminar we have feedback forms
last crew comprised of available in the
8 Polish officers and 9
the working day, then so be for each lecture so that the management
messrooms, in a team know what was useful. It is also a
Filipino ratings, although it; checklists are important file, which is easily social occasion because our immediate
we also employ some accessible by
Latvian officers, and the for our safety, for everyone families are invited. The evenings spent
every member of socializing with our friends and colleagues
company is also starting onboard and should be done the crew. If there and their families are just as important as
to take Filipino Cadets.
in a proper way is a Safety Bulletin the more serious business that we cover
The working language that is extremely during the day.
onboard is English. important for the
The Polish officers and the Filipino crew ship, I will discuss it at my briefing with We have a company newsletter Vapours
speak quite good English and have no the crew, which I normally hold after the and Dusts; the articles inside are written
difficulty in communicating with one weekly safety drills. for and by our crew and our managers
another. Our standard of English is everyone is encouraged to write for
We have an onboard safety and security the newsletter, which is published on a
checked by the crewing agency before
training program covering drills, training, three-monthly basis. The Company pays
we join the company. For the officers,
and lectures required by international corporate subscriptions to professional
this is done in our crewing agency, Baltic
conventions, and a number of table-top institutions like, for instance, the Nautical
Marine, which is a part of Dorchester
exercises in, for example cargo operations. Institute so that we get the magazines,
Atlantic Marine, but based in Gdynia.
At the end of each which everyone is
The test consists of a simple program
drill, safety videos encouraged to read.
of questions and answers lasting about
30 to 60 minutes; after that, the training
are shown in the Training programs, safety
day room using Although the master
manager will give us the results, which
Videotels VOD committees, reporting systems, only has access to
are also checked and approved by the the internet, there is
box - Video on 'no blame culture', regular
personnel director. no problem with any
demand. It is a
The ISM Code is important for the working new computer- meetings on board and member of the crew
of the vessel. There may be times when terminal, con- who wishes to send an
seminars ashore, free e-mail
it is difficult to implement, and of course, nected to the e-mail to his family at
there is more paperwork, more proced- vessels TV system access and telephones - all any time, free of charge.
ures and checklists; but, I think that if this which provides a We have a special e-
these elements create effective mail box where they
leads to better safety, then it can only be number of video
good. If the Chief Mate, for example, has training programs ship communication can put their e-mail
to go through five or six checklists at the and is a very messages which will be
start of the working day, then so be it; useful training sent with the next data
checklists are important for our safety, for aid. In the addition to the above the transmission. Also telephone bases using
everyone onboard and should be done in Company supplies vessels with training pre-paid cards are available for the crew.
a proper way. presentations and quizzes regarding
Training programs, safety committees,
safety and security matters available for
How do I check that he is doing it reporting systems, no blame culture,
all crewmembers.
correctly? The only answer that I can regular meetings on board and seminars
give is that onboard ship we work as a Most of the officers training outside of ashore, free e-mail access and telephones
team and we have to trust one another. the ship is done at the Marine Academy all these elements create effective ship
I trust my Chief Mate and I trust all my or Maritime School in Gdynia and are communication, thereby continuously
people. The Company has a no blame sponsored by the Company. Deck improving our safety and management
culture; it is a culture that is built on trust officers do, for example, Bridge Resource on board and ashore and a belief that we
and it means that if there is any accident, Management Courses and senior officers are ONE team.
Accident
Investigation
8 Reports
Grounding of a woodchip carrier
during pilotage through incorrect use of helm
T his report features the grounding of
a 40,360gt woodchip carrier, during
a pilotage, and highlights a number of
of the one to one communication may have
been to encourage challenge by the Filipino
helmsman, the lack of cultural awareness by
not normally use hand signals to enhance
the communication of helm orders to a
helmsman.
examples where communication was not the pilot made it ineffective. The rank and
nationality of the helmsman made it unlikely The report also concludes that the pilots
effective. The helmsman was steering the ship
as instructed by the pilot, and the master and that he would ever challenge a pilots order. use of a mobile telephone in the time
third mate were on the bridge. The pilotage before the grounding was inconsistent
Other than the brief pre-departure with good navigational practice and may
progressed as intended until a turn to port information exchange there was little or
at a critical part of the passage was being have been a distraction. It quotes an
no communication between the pilot,
executed, during which starboard instead of Australian Marine Guidance Note which
the master and the third mate until the
port helm was applied for approximately one grounding was imminent. The report concludes that: There is a compelling need
minute. By the time the error was detected concludes that inadequate communication for clarity of purpose when conducting the
and maximum port helm applied, grounding led to responsibilities being undefined, safe navigation of a vessel which endorses
was inevitable. and did not encourage an atmosphere the requirement for an active management
for challenge and response. The helm policy for the use of mobile phones on the
The report deduces that the master/ orders were, for the most part, the only bridges of ships at all times, but especially
pilot information exchange prior to the communication that took place. This led when navigation risks are higher.
departure of the ship from harbour was to inadequate monitoring of the pilotage
minimal. After the exchange, the pilot passage, and resulted in single person
Note: The purpose of this summary is purely to
instructed the helmsman to inform him if errors occurring and not being detected
highlight certain human element issues arising
he had any doubts about any orders the in time to prevent the grounding.
from this incident. Those who are involved in
pilot gave, or in the event of any steering the management and operation of ships and
malfunction, however minor. The pilot had The master and third mate stated that the of ports are strongly advised to read the whole
stated that to build rapport he had a one pilot did not always close the loop with his report which can be downloaded from: http://
to one communication with the helmsman. helm orders, nor did he consistently use www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_
According to the report: while the purpose the midships order. Furthermore, he did reports/2006/MAIR/pdf/mair227_001.pdf
Reports
Studies & User Feedback in Ship Design
D A Joiner, Massey University, New Zealand
w: www.he-alert.org This bulletin is distributed and promoted with the kind support of:
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e: editor@he-alert.org Shipmasters' Associations (IFSMA); International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS); Institute of Marine Engineering,
Science and Technology (IMarEST); International Maritime Pilots' Association (IMPA); NewsLink; Royal Institute of
Navigation (RIN); Royal Institution of Naval Architects(RINA)