Aditi Kataria

Maritime human factors and IMO policy

The development of human factor- (HF) related regulations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has often been the result of responses to maritime accidents. The typical reaction to an accident has been a combination of (mainly technical) regulations, changing of procedures and training. Systemic evaluations and changes have rarely been done. Statements made by IMO in recent years claim a shift towards a proactive approach in maritime safety. Key documents, like the IMO Human Element vision, would confirm such statements. This article reviews documents submitted to IMOs Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) in order to evaluate the ‘mechanisms’ of decision-making and the priorities for setting the agenda in MSC regarding maritime human factors. The review confirms that the IMO work related to HF was reactive in the 1990s. There are a number of examples of more recent regulations that can be considered proactive. However, it is too early to fully confirm a proactive policy in the IMO rule-making process.

Multidimensional simulation in team training for safety and security in maritime transportation

ABSTRACT Emergency response, crew resource, and crisis management are important aspects of maritime education and training (MET). The authors of this article approach these aspects, utilizing enhanced simulation-based team training. The authors argue that an effective way to gain experience and achieve corresponding skills are practice runs on specially designed simulators that realistically represent complex conditions on-board vessels, following emergency alerts. The article introduces the concept of a safety and security training simulator and describes the research work related to the implementation of a learning objective-oriented development of simulation training scenarios and the pedagogic value added by simulation to MET. Results of a simulation case study are presented.

Exploring Bridge-Engine Control Room Collaborative Team Communication

The EC funded CyClaDes research project is designed to promote the increased impact of the human element in shipping across the design and operational lifecycle of ships. It addresses the design an ...