Chapter 1 - BRIDGE TEAM MANAGEMENT

Question 1

Why most accidents occur?

Answer 1

Most accidents occur because ther is no system in operation to detect and consenquently prevent one person making a mistake, a mistake of the type all human beings are liable to commit.

Question 2

STCW (Part 3.1. -Guidance on Keeping a Navigational Watch, B-VIII
Brigde resource managemente)

Answer 2

5.14 Members of the navigational watch should at all times be prepared to respond efficiently and effectively to changes in circumstances

Question 3

Why team work and planning are important?

Answer 3

In an emergency situation, any officer, including the most junior one in the team, may have to make decisions that he knows are really beyond his capability.

Under good sustem of bridge team management and a well drawn up passage plan, even the most junior and inexperienced officer will have a substantial fund of knowledge to back up his actions.

Question 4

How a good bridge team management and a well drawn up passage plan impacta the decision making

Answer 4

Every officer, even the rookiest one, will know that the decisions he has to make wil be safe and will apply he knowledge he already has to the system he has been working.

Question 5

What is “Team Management”

Answer 5

It’s the interaction required wihtin the team for such a system to work (the best utilization of available resources, both human and material).

It’s a continuous acceptance and understanding by each of the team members that they all have to fulfil the role to which they have been assigned

Question 6

Training

Answer 6

Involves instructing them in the execution of variuous tasks or procedures to a required standard

Question 7

Coaching

Answer 7

Involves the development of existing abilities through delegation and monitoring.

Fundamental due to lack of personal. Feedbacks are important

Question 8

One of the primary functions of the team

Answer 8

Is the provision of a system of checking and cross checking decisions that will directly or indirectly affect the passage of the ship

Question 9

Morale

Answer 9

A demoralised team, or even desmoralised members of a team, is not going to produce the high standards required ensuring the continuous safety of the ship.

Morale depends upon a large number of factors. But good teamwork and effective operation will be achieved if the team members are clear as to their role in the team, can se the results of their own efforts, have their own deficiencies carefully corrected and are given credit when it is due.

Question 10

Error chains

Answer 10

Maritime incidentes or disaster are not the result of a single error, but the result of a series of non-serious incidentes: the culmination of an error chain.

Question 11

Importance of situational awareness

Answer 11

Helps the OOW or other watchkeeper to recognise that an error chain is developing and to take action, based upon this recognition, to break the error chain.

Question 12

Indications of error chain

Answer 12

Certain signs, apparent to members of a bridge team will indicate that an error chain is developing. This does not necessarily mean that an incident is about to happen, but that the passage is not being conducted as planned and that certain elements of situational awareness may be lacking. The ship is being put at unnecessary risk and action must be taken to break the error chain.

Question 13

Ambiguity

Answer 13

Ambiguity may be easily definable or may be a subtle indication that things are not going as expected. In the event that two independent and separate position fixing systems do not agree, e.g. Radar fix and GPS positions may not be the same; something is obviously wrong with one of the fixes and an ambiguity exists. Immediate action is required to correct this ambiguity and detennine
which one of the fixes is correct.

A more subtle ambiguity may occur if the echo sounder reading does not agree with the charted depth shown. The less
conscientious OOW may just accept this fact, another may not be satisfied and will try to determine why there is a difference between the anticipated and actual sounding.

Ambiguity may exist in that two team members do not agree on a point of action. Ambiguity exists; of itself it may not be dangerous, but it does mean that there is a difference and the cause
of this difference needs to be understood. One of the team members
may be losing, or has lost his situational awareness and an error chain may be developing.

The OOW may be aware that certain pre-agreed decisions, e.g. night orders, company procedures etc. are not being followed. Again ambiguity exists, he must ask himself why has there been
deviation from the accepted procedures?

Ambiguity may be a result of inexperience or lack of training.
The junior officer may feel that he is not in a position to voice his doubts. This should not be the case. Every member of a well constructed and well briefed team will feel confident that his doubts or fears can be expressed without his being reprimanded for what may turn out to be, in one instance an unwarranted worry, in another a very pertinent and relevant remark identifying a real hazard

Question 14

Distraction

Answer 14

Distraction. the full attention of a person upon one event to the exclusion of others or concentration upon what is often an irrelevancy can be an indication that situational awareness is beginning to break down, even if only for a restricted period. Distraction can be caused by an excessive workload, stress or fatigue, emergency conditions aT, all too often, inattention to detail. It can
also be caused by an unexpected, though not threatening event, such as a VHF call, which can take the full attention of a person to the exclusion of other more urgent needs. In such an event, a senior officer, e.g. a pilot having the con, may have to be made aware of
the distraction.

Question 15

Inadequacy and confusion

Answer 15

Inadequacy and confusion must not be mistaken for the confusion of a junior officer who just does not have the experience or knowledge to cope with a complex situation. Such a situation arises with even senior officers in disaster circumstances and needs to be noted and corrected before it can become dangerous.

Question 16

Communication breakdown

Answer 16

Breakdown in communications can occur in several ways. It may be that members of a team simply do not understand one another due to being from different backgrounds or even different parts of the same country. Merely practising communications in their everyday life can easily rectify such differences.

Further difficulties may occur in trying to understand a pilot of a different cultural background. Rectification in this case will not lend itself to practice, but can only develop with experience. However
such a situation should have been allowed [or at the planning stage
of the passage.

Other difficulties may occur in trying to understand a person using the radio in a shore station, or on another ship. Patience and perseverance are the only methods to rectify this situation.

Question 17

Improper con or lookout

Answer 17

It is not always clear who actually has the control of the ship. This can occur in several ways. The arrival of the master, on the bridge, does not necessarily transfer the con to him. In fact until he
states otherwise the con remains with the OOW. The easiest way to clarify this situation is for the OOW to make a log book entry to the effect that the master has taken the con, otherwise it may be assumed that it remains with the OOW. This procedure is recommended in
the I CS Bridge Procedures Guide.

A similar situation can arise when it is not clear who has the con when there is a pilot on board. Normally the master will have the con when making the pilot station and should quite clearly state
when the pilot takes the con, thus clarifying the situation to all concerned. This too can be clarified by the OOW making a log entry to this effect.

A lookout who is unclear about his duties is usually a result of
poor team management.

Question 18

Non-compliance with the passage plan

Answer 18

Non-compliance with the passage plan may result from the improper con noted above, and is another indication that situational awareness is breaking down. Unjustified departure from a clearly
defined and understood passage plan must be recognised as a breakdown of situaliona! awareness. As an example, the OOW of a ship that is proceeding in the wrong lane of a Traffic Separation
Scheme must ask himself why am I doing this? The ship will be off the planned track and it is in direct violation of the International Rules. If the OOW is both deviating from track and ignoring the Rules then it is likely that he is not fully aware of the position of the ship.

Any indication of any of the above requires action on the part of the person becoming aware of it He must either correct the fault, particularly if it is his own responsibility or draw the attention
of other individuals, or even the whole team, to the error.

Question 19

Procedural violation

Answer 19

Procedural violations will occur Similarly to that of not complying with the passage plan. Again the question has to be asked, “why are we doing it this way?’” If the question cannot be easily
answered then the OOW or watchstander must be doubly careful.

Question 20

Two principal factors seemed to be the main causes of collisions and groundings

Answer 20

1 - Weaknesses in bridge organisation and the result of such weaknesses.

2 - Failure to keep a good lookout.

Question 21

Setting double watches in appropriate circumstances

Answer 21

Too often it is considered adequate to proceed in a more complex situation with the same bridge manning levels as if the ship were deep sea with less immediate potential hazards.

Question 22

Ensuring sufficient personnel are available in special circumstances

Answer 22

Additional personnel are often required to prepare equipment or to he available under certain circumstances. However if calling them is left too late they may not become available until the ship is in the situation that they could have helped prevent.

Question 23

Precise instructions for calling the master

Answer 23

Too often the master is called after a situation has irredeemably deteriorated. If the OOW is unclear as to when he should call the master then his indecision may lead to his not calling the master. If the OOW is any doubt whatsoever then he should call him.

Question 24

Posting look-outs

Answer 24

The OOW may consider that he alone can keep the look out in addition to his own duties. However not posting a lookout may cause him to neglect other important duties.

Question 25

Manning the wheel

Answer 25

An unmanned wheel requires the OOW to monitor and correct the steering. This too may cause him to overlook other duties.

Question 26

An established drill for
changing over from automatic to manual steering

Answer 26

Modern steering gear can usually be changed easily from one system to another. However major incidents are on record where lack of awareness of the precise steering system currently in
operation, or a lack of knowledge of how to change from one system to the other, has led to disaster.

Question 27

Precise instructions regarding reducing speed in the event of reduced
visibility

Answer 27

A busy OOW may not realise that the visibility has deteriorated, particularly at night. Even when he has realised that the situation has deteriorated he may not appreciate the increase in workload and may consider that he can still cope. Precise instructions in night or standing orders will prevent this situation arising

Question 28

Failure to pre-plan a track

Answer 28

Frequently it is not considered necessary to plan a track and show it on the chart. This may be because the mariners concerned feel that they know the area sufficiently well or because there is a pilot on the bridge. There is however little point in planning and then not showing the track on the chart.

Question 29

Failure to adequately monitor the vessel’s progress along the planned
track

Answer 29

Although a planned track is shown on the chart OOWs may not always constantly and regularly fix the ship. This may lead to the OOW not being aware that the ship is deviating from track,
perhaps towards danger.

Question 30

Failure to take immediate action to regain track having deviated from it

Answer 30

Even when aware that deviation from track is occurring, the attitude may be that it doesn’t really matter because there is enough safe water, when this is not actually the case. Ships are never planned to go aground, so compliance with the planned track will ensure
safety.

Question 31

Failure to cross check fixes by comparing one means with another

Answer 31

If only one method of fixing is used when the ship is in constrained waters, mis-identification of a navigation mark or faulty electronic infonnation, left unchecked and unobserved, can leave the OOW with a false sense of security.

Question 32

Failure to use visual fixing
when available

Answer 32

Electronic position fixing may sometimes be more accurate
or convenient but electronic fixes do not necessarily relate the ship’s position to navigational hazards. Ignoring visual fixing may lead to the OOW becoming unaware of his situation.

Question 33

Failure to use the echo sounder when making a
landfall or navigating in
constrained waters

Answer 33

Except when alongside or threatened by another ship, the nearest danger is inevitably vertically below. Although it cannot be
considered to be a position fIx, observation and appreciation of the
under keel clearance will often warn the observer of approaching danger or that the ship is not in the position that it should be.

Question 34

Failure to correctly identify
navigational lights

Answer 34

An observer may convince himself that he sees the light he is looking for, not the light he is actually looking at. This misidentification can lead to subsequent error or confusion

Question 35

Failure to ensure that
importont navigational
decisions are independently
checked by another officer

Answer 35

By their very nature human beings are liable to make errors. It is essential that such human errors cannot occur without being noticed and corrected. An integral part of the navigational plan and
bridge organisation must be to constantly double check and minimise the risk of such errors going unnoticed.

Question 36

Bridge organisation

Answer 36

1. Eliminate the risk that an error on the part of one person may result in a disastrous situation.
2. Emphasise the necessity to maintain a good visual lookout and to carry out collision avoidance
   routines.
3. Encourage the use of all means of establishing the ship’s position so that in the case of one method becoming unreliable others are immediately available.
4. Make use of passage planning and navigational systems which allow continuous monitoring
   and detection of deviation from track when in coastal waters.
5. Ensure that all instrument errors are known and correctly applied.
6. Accept a pilot as a valuable addition to a bridge team.

Question 37

Individual role

Answer 37

These procedures can only be achieved by each member of the bridge team appreciating
that he has a vital part to play in the safe navigation of the ship. Each member will also realise that safety depends upon all personnel playing their part to the utmost of their ability.

Each team member must appreciate that the safety of the ship should never depend upon the decision of one person only. All decisions and orders must be carefully checked and their execution monitored. Junior team members and watchstanders must never hesitate to question a decision if they consider that such decision is not in the best interests of the ship. Careful briefing and explanation of the responsibilities required of each member will help to accomplish this.

Question 38

The plan

Answer 38

Voyages of whatever length can be broken down into two major stages:

1. Preparation;
2. Execution.

Question 39

Preparation includes

Answer 39

a. Appraisal;
b. Planning.

Question 40

Execution includes

Answer 40

c. Organisation;
d. Monitoring.