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Maritime pilots to train MRM for improved safety

By Maritime Resource Management (MRM), Master/Pilot One Comment

For safety at sea, efficient teamwork and communication are of utmost importance. This does not change when the pilot comes onboard. Everyone agrees on that. Still, safe teamwork may be difficult to achieve.

The master/pilot relationship was the topic at a well-attended conference in Cyprus in November and the issue is at the moment being discussed in the MRM group on LinkedIn. The conclusion from the discussions is clear – more pilots should do Maritime Resource Management training. And bridge teams must apply what they learnt in the MRM courses too. Regarding pilots and MRM training there are some good news to share. MRM training for pilots are already being done in for example Australia, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, South Africa, Sweden and the U.K. Some countries have just started while others have been doing MRM training for years.

The theme of latest edition of the Swedish Maritime Administration’s newsletter Sjörapporten is “Pilotage in the future”. A two-page article highlights the importance of MRM training for maritime pilots. Click the picture for the article in Swedish. A translation of the article into English is found below.

Pilots on a new course, Sjorapporten, no 5 2013PILOTS ON A NEW COURSE

For a newly graduated senior high school student, it takes almost as long to become a pilot as to become a medical specialist.  In order to maintain the pilot’s expertise, the Swedish Maritime Administration is launching an improved supplementary training for all pilots.

The new training for pilots begins during Autumn 2013. The first trial course was conducted in September with good results.  All pilots of the Swedish Maritime Administration will go through the course latest Spring 2015. After that, the training course will be conducted at regular intervals.

“To be involved in a grounding is what we, as pilots, fear the most, and I am probably speaking for all pilots. Our specialised skills are all about avoiding such incidents. It is very unusual that accidents happen with vessels that have pilots onboard, but the course will also help prepare the pilots of what can happen if an accident would take place”, says Anna Laurell, pilot from Söderhamn in Gävle and responsible for the new training course.

As part of the training, the Coast Guard will inform about the agency’s capacity and authority in the events of accidents at sea. The Swedish Transportation Agency will participate in a similar role. The focus, however, is on the skills available within the Swedish Maritime Administration, in the form of simulator training, rules & regulations and media training.

In addition, attention is paid to another part of the piloting task, aside from the responsibilities related to knowledge about local waters and maneuvering skills. That other part is related to the ability of collaborating and working together with people you have never met before.

This softer part of the piloting task is addressed in the basic pilot training in the form of MRM (Maritime Resource Management), a training programme that aims at reducing the risk of human error that causes accidents at sea. In the improved supplementary training programme for pilots, a longer refresher session on MRM has been included.

MRM originates from aviation and MRM presupposes that there is a correlation between the attitudes and behavior of people onboard and the culture these people belong to. For example their professional, organizational and national cultures.  An example of the usefulness of MRM in accident prevention is by emphasizing the importance of communication between all personnel on the bridge. Communication on the bridge may sometimes be difficult due to the fact that standardized communication in shipping is considerably less than in aviation.

Jonas Alexandersson is a pilot in the Lake Vänern district and one of the Swedish Maritime Administration’s MRM Facilitators. He confirms that communication skills are very important for the pilot.

“In order to minimize the risk of errors due to misunderstanding, it is important that communication takes place using “closed loop”. If the pilot orders ‘port ten’, then the helmsman repeats the order – ‘port ten’ – before he executes the order.  The pilot confirms. When the order is executed, the helmsman reports back to the pilot who responds with a confirmation.  By communicating in this way, both parties have received confirmation that the order is correctly understood and executed”, says Jonas Alexandersson.

“Closed loop communication is usually followed precisely on cruise ships and extensively in other types of vessels – but not everywhere and not always. Therefore, it is very important that the pilot is always communicating this way”,according to Jonas Alexandersson.

The ultimate responsibility for the ship lies with the master, even if the pilot is onboard. The pilot’s role is almost like being a ‘living chart’ with very good local knowledge. But occasionally, it requires sensitivity in the communication to reach the goal of piloting – in the safest way possible, take a vessel in or out of the port.

“As a pilot, you must quickly get an understanding of the atmosphere on the bridge when you enter a vessel. What is the mood of these people that you will be working with in the next few hours? If the master has an authoritarian style of leadership, the pilot may have to keep a lower profile in order to fulfill the task.  And the other way around, if the master is insecure, the pilot may have to be a little more assertive. It is a mix of these and other factors that are identified and discussed in the MRM course”, says Jonas Alexandersson.

Free translation from the Swedish Maritime Administration’s newsletter “Sjörapporten”, no 5, 2013.

Media release: ALL Academy offers Maritime Resource Management licences to combat maritime accidents

By Accidents and investigations, Maritime Resource Management (MRM), Media releases, P&I Clubs and marine insurers No Comments

An initiative to increase Maritime Resource Management (MRM) training in the maritime industry has been taken by ALL Academy International AB who now offers MRM training licences. “Lack of MRM continues to be a key factor in maritime accidents and there is an urgent need to do something about it. More shipping companies need to implement MRM”, says Martin Hernqvist, managing director of ALL Academy International AB, or ALL Academy for short.

Hernqvist, who parallel to his job at ALL Academy is the managing director of The Swedish Club Academy, continued: “The main promoter of resource management training in the maritime industry in the past has been the hull and P&I insurer The Swedish Club and MRM training licences have so far only been available through The Swedish Club Academy. A challenge has been to reach out to the shipping companies who have their insurances placed with other P&I clubs and insurance providers.”

Protection and indemnity insurance claims exceeding US$ 9 million are shared between the clubs in the International Group of P&I Clubs, Hernqvist explains. Any claim exceeding US$ 9 million will therefore have an impact on all clubs. Hernqvist said that major P&I claims may involve loss of lives and may have severe environmental consequences. The costs of these claims are escalating and many of these claims are also MRM-related, according to Hernqvist. “From a financial perspective, the grounding of the Costa Concordia stands out. It is by far the most expensive P&I claim ever. When the costs exceed the level ‘for own account’, all P&I clubs get involved and eventually all their respective members will have to contribute to cover the losses,” he added.

Martin Hernqvist said: “It is of the interest to all P&I clubs – and to their members – that everyone do whatever possible to reduce the likelihood of incidents. We are firm believers since 20 years now that MRM is the most effective tool available to increase safety and efficiency in our industry. However, it may have been difficult for other P&I clubs and insurers to promote a concept that has only been available through The Swedish Club Academy. The clubs are close colleagues in the international insurance market but at the same time competitors,” he said. “For this reason MRM licenses will now be made available also through ALL Academy. ALL Academy is the development company behind the MRM training programme and completely independent.”

Hernqvist hopes that many parties in the industry, not least other P&I clubs and insurers, through this initiative shall push forward for a greater use of MRM.  “We are excited about the new possibilities and we hope that MRM shall reach out to a wider audience. The industry needs it,” he concluded.

-ENDS-

Further information 

Martin Hernqvist, managing director, ALL Academy International AB
Tel: +46 (0)706 313 299
Email: martin.hernqvist@allacademy.com
Website: http://allacademy.com
For photos and logotype, click here.

Notes to Editors

ALL Academy International AB is an independent training development company primarily involved in human factors and resource management training programmes. ALL Academy is the company behind the Maritime Resource Management (MRM) training programme that has become the industry standard for resource management training. Primary users are maritime universities and training centres, ship owners, ship managers, manning agencies, pilot associations, marine insurers and P&I clubs. The MRM network is the maritime industry’s largest network in the human factors area and MRM training is today available in 35 countries worldwide.

Martin Hernqvist is the managing director of ALL Academy International AB and The Swedish Club Academy AB. Hernqvist was 20 years ago involved in the development of the maritime industry’s first ever resource management training programme, at that time called Bridge Resource Management (BRM). Maritime Resource Management (MRM) is a further development of BRM. MRM aims at involving the whole organisation, including shore-side management. In order to establish an effective safety culture within the organisation, a deep understanding and a commitment from the top is of utmost importance.

Master/Pilot relationship in focus at Nautical Institute seminar

By Accidents and investigations, Maritime Resource Management (MRM), Master/Pilot, Seminars/Conferences 3 Comments
The Cyprus Branch of the Nautical Institue ran a half-day seminar on the topic of “Master + Pilot = Zero Accidents?” on Friday 8 November 2013. The well-attended seminar was held at the Odyssia (Kapetanios) Hotel in Limassol, Cyprus. The event was followed by a gala dinner in the evening to celebrate the Branch’s 20 year anniversary.
Graham Cowling, Chairman of the Nautical Institute’s Cyprus Branch, made an excellent summary of the challenges in the Master/Pilot relationship in his welcome address at the seminar. (See bottom of this post.)
Martin Hernqvist of ALL Academy addressing the Master/Pilot relationship

Martin Hernqvist of ALL Academy talking about “The Master/Pilot relationship and soft skills”.

 

Delegates at Nautical Institute's seminar on the Master/Pilot relationship

Nautical Institute’s seminar on the Master/Pilot relationship attracted a large number of people and discussions were lively.

 

Captain Sivaraman Krishnamurthi, President of the Nautical Institute

Captain Sivaraman Krishnamurthi, President of the Nautical Institute, responding to questions from the audience.

 

The speakers at the seminar, from left to right: Graham Cowling, Operations Manager at Marlow Navigation, Sivaraman Krishnamurthi, President of the Nautical Institute, Martin Hernqvist, Managing Director of ALL Academy and The Swedish Club Academy, Valentin Mavrinac, Marine Superintendent with Columbia Shipmanagement and Nick Cutmore, Secretary General of International Maritime Pilots' Association (IMPA)

The speakers at the seminar, from left to right: Graham Cowling, Operations Manager at Marlow Navigation, Sivaraman Krishnamurthi, President of the Nautical Institute, Martin Hernqvist, Managing Director of ALL Academy and The Swedish Club Academy, Valentin Mavrinac, Marine Superintendent with Columbia Shipmanagement and Nick Cutmore, Secretary General of International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA).

 

BRANCH CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME ADDRESS

The Master-Pilot relationship is a complex one. This ‘specialist’ navigator must be quickly integrated into the Bridge team as soon as he arrives onboard and needs its full support. On the other hand, ‘To Master’s orders and Pilot’s advice’ still holds good and the consequences of any navigational mishap always stay with the ship. So how do we make sure the Pilot is fit for the task, gets the full support he needs and brings the ship in and out of port with ‘zero accidents’? This seminar will focus on the main issues from the Pilot and Master’s points of view and then provide some answers.

When our Branch Committee first met earlier this year to discuss the topic for a half-day seminar, we wanted to raise an important topic for our 20th year anniversary. By some estimates, the shipping industry is paying US$ 50 million a year on navigational accidents in pilotage waters. Pilots are expected to take care of the interests of the local port, waterway and infrastructure as well as report on navigational deficiencies noted on board so the traditional role as ‘advisor to the Master’ is becoming increasingly unclear. For example, a ship may manoeuvre into a new port every day but the tug masters may not speak English and traffic flow in the port is in the hands of the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) – how much control on their port manoeuvres do the Bridge Team really have?

Pilots are an invaluable addition to the Bridge for their local knowledge and for their coordination with tugs / linesmen etc. The accidents during harbour manoeuvring may not necessarily be due to faults in the Master-Pilot relationship itself (which is but one component of the Pilotage operation). There are other factors to consider, such as inadequate planning, poor attitude, multi-tasking / multiple demands on the individuals, inadequate infrastructure / planning in ports, actual or imagined time constraints, role of the VTS, technical-failure and lack of contingency plans.

The topic has been the subject of several articles but has yet to be extensively debated in the Nautical Institute forums. Is radical reorganization of Master-Pilot responsibilities possible? While the competency standards of Masters are regulated by IMO STCW, Pilots and Tugs usually operate under national competency requirements and perhaps international ‘recommendations’, which might not be binding. In some countries, the Pilot is obligated to remove himself from the Bridge after an incident in order not to prejudice possible liability. These are issues requiring careful consideration.

It is noteworthy that there are several ports of the world where fewer accidents occur than in other places. There are obviously best-practices to be shared. There is enormous potential for ship-shore interchange of passage planning in ports. Two very experienced navigators – the Master and the Pilot on the Bridge should ideally result in ‘Zero Accidents’ – but we are all painfully aware that this is currently not the case.

Does the industry require a quantum leap in managing navigation with the Pilot onboard?

Graham Cowling, FNI, Chairman, Nautical Institute, Cyprus Branch

MRM once again at Tärntank Ship Management conference

By Maritime Resource Management (MRM), Seminars/Conferences No Comments

On 21-23 October 2013, Tärntank Ship Management held its second officer conference for the year on the island of Styrsö on the Swedish West Coast. Tärntank’s Swedish office on the island of Donsö is only a bridge away. Similar to Tärntank’s September event, Martin Hernqvist of ALL Academy started up the conference with a three-hour refresher on Maritime Resource Management. Addressing MRM topics at an early stage of an officer conference is excellent since it tears down potential barriers for communication. This could be between ranks, nationalities, deck and engine, or ship and shore. The feedback from the participants was very good and longer sessions on MRM was asked for for future conferences. Certainly, we would be pleased to assist!

Tärntank Ship Management officer conference on 21-23 October 2013

Tärntank Ship Management’s conference participants in the typical u-shaped seating arrangement. The u-shape facilitates discussions between participants which is an important objective in MRM workshops.

 

Martin Hernqvist of ALL Academy International AB at Tärntank Ship Management's officer conference in October 2013

Martin Hernqvist of ALL Academy discussing the links between cultures, attitudes and behaviour.

 

Group photo from Tärntank Ship Management's officer conference on 21-23 October 2013.

Group photo from Tärntank Ship Management’s officer conference on 21-23 October 2013.

Wallenius Marine focus on Maritime Resource Management at officer conference in Manila

By Maritime Resource Management (MRM), Seminars/Conferences No Comments

Maritime Resource Management was the main topic at Wallenius Marine’s four-day long officer conference held on 15-18 October 2013 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Casino Manila, Philippines. The conference contained a variety of topics but a full day, 17 October, was devoted to Maritime Resource Management. Martin Hernqvist of ALL Academy was the facilitator of the day. Shore-side managers from Sweden and Singapore attended together with deck and engine officers from primarily the Philippines and Myanmar. At the end of the seminar accident cases were analysed from an MRM perspective.

The topic was very well received by the participants and it helped to open up for a good discussion between ship and shore on important issues at the end of the day. Wallenius Marine aims at implementing MRM in their organisation to further improve safety, efficiency and job satisfaction.

Maritime Resource Management seminar and workshop at Wallenius Marine's officer conference in Manila on 17 October 2013. Martin Hernqvist of ALL Academy International AB.

Martin Hernqvist of ALL Academy International AB welcoming Wallenius Marine’s participants to the Maritime Resource Management seminar and workshop.

 

Maritime Resource Management seminar and workshop at Wallenius Marine's officer conference in Manila on 17 October 2013. Conference hall.

Active participants engaged in the full-day MRM seminar and workshop at Wallenius Marine’s officer conference in Manila on 17 October 2013.

 

Maritime Resource Management seminar and workshop at Wallenius Marine's officer conference in Manila on 17 October 2013. Break.

Participants during a break. San Win, Marine HR Manager at Wallenius Marine Singapore and organiser of the event, in the middle.

 

Maritime Resource Management seminar and workshop at Wallenius Marine's officer conference in Manila on 17 October 2013. Workshop.

At the end of the day, the participants analysed accidents and incidents from an MRM perspective.

 

Maritime Resource Management seminar and workshop at Wallenius Marine's officer conference in Manila on 17 October 2013. Thomas Mårtensson and Martin Hernqvist.

Thomas Mårtensson (left), Head of Ship Management at Wallenius Marine AB in Stockholm, presenting Martin Hernqvist of ALL Academy International AB with a gift in appreciation of the MRM seminar.

Maritime Resource Management Facilitator training event hosted by CTSI in Manila

By Maritime Resource Management (MRM), Train the trainer No Comments

A one-day intensive Maritime Resource Management (MRM) Facilitator training event was sucessfully carried out in Manila on 16 October 2013. The event was excellently organized and hosted by Consolidated Training Systems Inc. (CTSI) in Manila, Philippines.

Maritime Resource Management Facilitators at Consolidated Training Systems Inc. (CTSI) on 16 October 2013

Maritime Resource Management Facilitators at Consolidated Training Systems Inc. (CTSI) on 16 October 2013. Besides ALL Academy, the following companies were represented at the event: C-Man Maritime Inc., COMPASS Training Center Inc., Consolidated Training Systems Inc., Diamond –H Marine Services & Shipping Agency, Inc., Fairdeal Group Management S.A., Hanseatic Shipping Philippines Inc., IDESS Maritime Centre (Subic) Inc., Norden Shipping, OSM, Pacific Basin Shipping (HK) Limited, Hong Kong and Wisby Shipmanagement AB.

 

The Swedish Club offers insurance members MRM for free for two years

By Maritime Resource Management (MRM), P&I Clubs and marine insurers No Comments

At its Board Meeting in Amsterdam on 3 October 2013, The Swedish Club decided that insurance members of The Swedish Club shall be offered MRM licences for free for a period of two years. The Club expects that the decision shall help to move the industry forward in its strive for the establishment of effective safety cultures in shipping companies.

The launch date will be 1 January 2014 and both new and existing MRM licensees in the Club’s membership will be entitled to the offer. For more information about this initiative, please click here.

We expect that all training providers in the MRM network shall benefit from this move. There is a large number of different nationalities working on board the ships of Swedish Club members and these members will need assistance to put their seafarers through both initial MRM training and refresher training. So please be well prepared and make sure that you have well-trained and certified MRM Workshop Leaders at your training institutes ready to assist when needed.

A new group of Maritime Resource Management Facilitators trained in Gothenburg

By Maritime Resource Management (MRM), Train the trainer No Comments

On 2-3 October 2013 a group of 10 people received training and certification as MRM Facilitators. The training event was held in Gothenburg, Sweden. The majority of the participants came from Polarcus, a seismic exploration company based in Dubai. We welcomed also participants from Siport21 in Spain, Wisby Shipmanagement AB in Sweden and UK-based P&O Ferries. There was a good mix of people with both maritime (seafaring) and seismic background.

Martin Hernqvist of ALL Academy International AB

Martin Hernqvist of ALL Academy welcomes the participants.

 

Maritime Resource Management Facilitator training.

The group gathered around the table.

 

Maritime Resource Management Facilitators gathered for a group photo

Martin Hernqvist (left) and 10 new Maritime Resource Management Facilitators trained and certified in Gothenburg on 2-3 October 2013.

ALL Academy and MRM at REEDEREI NORD officers’ seminar

By Maritime Resource Management (MRM), Seminars/Conferences No Comments

On 25-27 September 2013 REEDEREI NORD LIMITED held its annual officer seminar in Limassol, Cyprus. There was an extensive programme with a good mix of suppliers discussing technical issues and a full first day where the focus was solely on non-technical issues – Maritime Resource Management (MRM). The MRM principles can be applied in any job and for that reason over 25 shore-side staff members joined the group of ships’ officers during the first day. The feedback on the topic from both groups was excellent and proved, yet again, that MRM unites not only the people onboard but also ship and shore. There was about 30 ships’ officers attending the seminar and with the many different nationalities represented, the discussions about cultural differences were both enlightening and entertaining. At the seminar there were people from Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cyprus, India, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Sweden, U.K. (and possibly a few more countries) attending.

ALL Academy's MRM seminar for REEDEREI NORD LIMITED, Limassol, 25 September 2013

REEDEREI NORD LIMITED’s seminar participants gathered for the Maritime Resource Management workshop

This was REEDEREI NORD LIMITED’s sixth annual officer seminar and Martin Hernqvist of ALL Academy participated also in the first one held in 2008. In 2008, the seminar was held at NORD’s office in Limassol but due to the large size of the group, this year’s seminar was held in the conference hall of the Curium Palace Hotel.

REEDEREI NORD was established in 1964 by late Mr. Klaus E. Oldendorff. The Group currently comprises of two separate management companies REEDEREI NORD GMBH located in Hamburg, Germany, with focus on the dry tonnage and REEDEREI NORD LIMITED located in Limassol, Cyprus, with its main focus on the wet tonnage. Jointly they manage a fleet of nearly 50 vessels including container vessels, bulk carriers and tankers.

Tärntank Ship Management reinforces MRM at officer conference

By Maritime Resource Management (MRM), Seminars/Conferences No Comments
Maritime Resource Management seminar for Tärntank Ship Management on 18 September 2013. Photo taken upon arrival to Styrsö Bratten.

Just arrived to the island of Styrsö for Tärntank Ship Management’s officer conference. Autumn has arrived too.

For successful implementation of MRM, refresher training is of utmost importance. This is something that Tärntank Ship Management is well aware of and for that reason MRM was a key topic once again at the company’s annual officer conferences. The first of two such conferences this year was held on 18-20 September 2013 and we had the pleasure of attending the first day with a follow-up of our “Introduction to MRM” seminar first delivered for Tärntank in 2011.

Starting off with MRM at occasions like these is usually very good. MRM aims at establishing efficient teamwork and communication – not just between people onboard, also between ship and shore. MRM therefore creates a good platform at officer conferences ensuring that there is a good, open and constructive dialogue between all participants throughout the conference.

Tärntank’s conference took place on the island of Styrsö, the closest island to Donsö island where Tärntank Ship Management is located. Donsö is a small island with about 1,400 permanent inhabitants but despite its size, there are about ten shipping companies on Donsö active in tanker shipping in the product and chemicals sectors. There are no cars on the island, people drive flatbed mopeds and electric golf carts. Huge contrasts indeed, being in Shanghai one week and on these islands the next. So many differences but the shipping companies’ strive for quality the same. But the quality of life on these islands is hard to beat.

Dinner at restaurant Styrsö Skäret following the Maritime Resource Management seminar on 18 September 2013.

Tärntank Ship Management’s seagoing officers and office staff gathered for dinner at restaurant Styrsö Skäret on 18 September 2013.