Category

Maritime Resource Management (MRM)

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.

Maritime Resource Management Facilitator training in Shanghai, 11-13 September 2013

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

Just after our speech at the EMAIIF conference in Interlaken, we boarded the plane bound for Shanghai, China. A total of 16 participants had gathered for MRM Facilitator training taking place in Shanghai on 11-13 September 2013. There was a great mix of old and new acquaintances. Companies that participated at the event included Wallem Ship Management and Anglo-Eastern Ship Management who were the first in the shipping world to implement our resource management training programme for their seafarers. This was in the mid-1990s. Star Cruises, also present at the event, followed not long after. The visionary and proactive decisions made by their managements at the time, and their long-standing commitment to the concept, have substantially contributed to the success and the extraordinary claims records of these companies that we can witness today.

Maritime Resource Management Facilitator training in Shanghai 11-13 September 2013

MRM Facilitator candidates discussing the importance of Situation Awareness

The MRM Facilitator training event was the first one ever held in mainland China and it formed part of our campaign to increase the use of MRM in China. Many participants had already attended our MRM road shows in China in March and May 2013 and a conclusion made by the participants was that MRM is very much needed in China.

Companies represented at the MRM Facilitator training event were: Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Co. Ltd., BSM China, CMA CGM Shipping, Dalian Maritime University, ID Wallem Ship Management Ltd., Seaspan Ship Management Ltd., Sietc-Crew Qingdao, Star Cruises and Wallem Maritime Training Centre.

MRM Facilitators lined up for a group photo. (Martin Hernqvist of ALL Academy in red shirt in the middle.)

It is fun and most rewarding learning about Maritime Resource Management. MRM unites people from all over the world.

ALL Academy joined EMAIIF conference in Interlaken

By Accidents and investigations, Maritime Resource Management (MRM), Seminars/Conferences No Comments
ALL Academy presented MRM in Interlaken, Switzerland, on 9 September 2013

Interlaken, Switzerland, on 9 September 2013

For the second week in a row, ALL Academy had the pleasure of delivering the opening speech at an important maritime conference. This time it was the European Marine Accident Investigators International Forum (EMAIIF) that had gathered for their EMAIIF 9 conference in beautiful Interlaken, Switzerland. Also this time, Maritime Resource Management (MRM) was the primary topic of our presentation.

“Accident investigations are of no use if they are not used, and they are not used if the quality and standards of the reports are not good enough.” These are obvious truths discussed at the conference but the maritime industry still has some work to do in this respect. There are flag States who take their responsibility seriously but there are also those who act slowly, fail to adequately address the human and organizational factors involved and there are also those who do not publish their reports when completed. Then all the learning opportunities get lost.

Flag States around the world should use the best ones as their benchmark and shipping companies and training providers should also show their appreciation and make better use of the reports when flag States have managed to produce useful reports. It is not an easy task to dig down to the root causes and provide a reasonably clear picture of all the factors contributing to the accident.

Despite being a European conference, there were representatives also from a number of flag States outside Europe. The following flag States were participating at the conference: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and USA.
The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the Marine Accident Investigators’ International Forum (MAIIF) also had representatives attending the conference.

The EMAIIF 9 conference took place on 8-10 September 2013 and was organised by the Swiss Maritime Navigation Office (SMNO).

Participants at EMAIIF 9 gathered for the Maritime Resource Management speech

Participants at EMAIIF 9 held on 8-10 September 2013