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Ships collisions increasing with
greater consequences
Too many vessels are colliding, prompting publication of new
book...
Despite years of progress across many
areas of ship operations it seems that there is one major danger still
lurking out at sea…other ships.
Across increasingly busy sea lanes and waterways the problem of
collisions is simply not going away, in fact according to Dr YF Chang,
Chairman of the Evergreen Group, statistics demonstrate that
collisions are actually on the increase, with significantly greater
and more damaging consequences.
With larger ships carrying ever more cargo, and with severe penalties
for pollution, a collision can have dreadful consequences for life,
the environment and business.
The sad fact remains, even with the development of electronic aids to
navigation, the introduction of AIS and with reams of safety
management instructions, too many vessels are coming into contact with
each other. A fact that has prompted The Nautical Institute to launch
a new publication, “Managing Collision Avoidance at Sea”.
In his foreword, Dr YF Chang points out that, “while shipping is
competitive, collision avoidance is a cooperative responsibility and
all parties both ashore and afloat must work together to seek
improvement”. A very sensible philosophy, and one which needs
harnessing and developing.
The book, jointly authored by Captain Gilbert Lee, MNI, from Taiwan
and Mr Julian Parker, OBE, FNI, sets out to highlight and develop this
concept of joint responsibilities. The book opens by examining the
role of government, training centres and ship managers in defining
policies, setting standards, and effectively managing this vitally
important aspect of ship operations.
The authority to navigate safely is invested in the Master, who then
delegates responsibility to the Officer of the Watch, after wide
consultation, the authors have produced examples and notes on best
practice, with the concepts of keeping a proper lookout and the use of
VHF being closely examined.
Despite reviewing and developing best practice, this is not just
another “textbook” on the COLREGS. Such books exist already, and as
such “Managing Collision Avoidance at Sea” takes a more analytical and
challenging view of what is so clearly going wrong when vessels come
into close proximity.
The book is a valuable illustrated guide, and is further enhanced by
case studies taken from incidents and MARS reports, with analysis of
incidents and near misses to establish whether changes to planning,
procedures or methods of execution need to be addressed.
Co-author, Julian Parker said of the book, “we need to reinforce the
point that collision avoidance is a communal duty, one shared by all
parties ashore and afloat. Avoiding a collision is not simply about
the right reaction on the spot, it takes more than that and is about
the right actions throughout the entire navigational process and
management chain”.
Managing Collision Avoidance at Sea by Parker and Lee (ISBN: 1 8700 77
865) is available to purchase now through The Nautical Institute,
price: £27.50, 30% discount (plus any additional bulk discount) will
be applied to all orders from NI members.
http://www.nautinst.org/pubs/search.cfm
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