Bridge Distractions

It has become noticeable over the last few years that the bridge watchkeepers have more and more things to distract them from the job that they should be doing whilst on watch, that is navigation and collision avoidance. Whether it is GMDSS alerts from half a world away, more displays to look at (the latest being the AIS) or sometimes these distractions are nothing to do with the job. I had 2 incidents during the last trip on a ship which is run by a well respected oil tanker owner.

Incident 1

The mate who was new to the company could be repeatedly found day after day staring into the networked computer on the bridge, whether he was doing paperwork or writing emails home to his family it does not matter. The fact was that he was never seen to look out of the front windows of the bridge. Sometimes the only time he would get out of his chair (facing port) was to place a position on the chart after the GPS sounded its reminder bell. This behaviour carried on so often that we had to hope that all ships approached from the port side, then at least he may have seen them.

A timely mention of the optimum collision avoidance aid - the radar (or computer) that flashes up a signal at set intervals to remind the OOW to look out and see for him/her self what the " Real World" looks like.

Incident 2

The Junior Engineer was filling in the oily water record book after completing pumping bilges. It was normal practice to phone the bridge to obtain the ship's position from the officer of the watch. On this occasion however, the JE could not get a reply at all from the bridge after trying numerous times on both telephones. He then proceeded up to the bridge to find both 2nd and 3rd mates on the bridge wing with a music stereo blaring out at such a volume that they could have had no chance of hearing the phone or radio, GMDSS etc. The JE obtained his own position and returned to the engine room and mentioned to me what had happened.

Both these cases occurred under the same Captain and nothing was done about it when it was mentioned. However, since then it has become company policy to remove/disable all computers on the bridge so this must have been happening on other ships as well.

The new Captain was non too chuffed about the stereo on the bridge and so had it removed. Hopefully there is now more of a chance of the bridge officers doing what they are supposed to do whilst on watch.

Keeping an aural watch is just as important as the visual watch. Listening to entertainment when on watch on the bridge is dangerous.

1. Answer the questions:

1. How do you understand the word “distraction”?

2. What kind of ship did the incidents take place on?

3. What kind of work was the mate to do in the first incident?

4. What did remind the mate to place the position on the chart?

5. Why did the mates fail to hear the phone?

6. What is the main idea of this report?