Training and data key to reaping benefits from technology into shipping

UK-registered container ship ANL Wyong and the Italian registered gas carrier King Arthur collided during fog off Gibraltar in August 2018. The collision was due to an over-reliance on, and mis-interpretation of, automatic identification system (AIS) data, according to an investigation by the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) [1]. In another incident investigated by the MAIB, the ro-ro passenger ferry Red Falcon collided with a private yacht and grounded in Cowes Harbour, England, in February 2020 after the master became “cognitively overloaded” and “fixated” upon the information displayed on his electronic chart [2].

Last year, the US Navy said it was to replace touch screens with manual controls in 2020 after an investigation into the fatal collision in 2017 involving the USS John S McCain, which found the complexity of the control system and a lack of training led to the incident. However, rather than retreat from technology, ship owners would be better to focus on training, according to Captain Andrew Kinsey, Senior Marine Risk Consultant at AGCS.

“Technology in itself will not make things safer, and it can even make some situations more dangerous. If you want to take advantage of technology you need to support it with training. We need to embrace technology, but at a pace we can absorb it,” says Kinsey.

In particular, the industry needs to start learning from successful journeys, not just accidents, according to Kinsey. “We need to capture and analyze data from successful journeys, not just incident reports. In the past, data was hard to come by, but now we are at a point where we can capture data in real time and evaluate safe operations, and use the insights to develop new technology, inform training and improve crew and safety culture,” says Kinsey.