SPRING 2014

In this issue
Experts guide to career
pilotage
Azimuthing control devices
Pilots, don’t leave port
without one!
The bionic bridge
Dropping anchor underway
AMPI summer workshop
registration
THE AUSTRALIASIAN MARINE
PILOTS INSTITUTE (AMPI) President’s Report
Suite 2 Argyle Place Rob Buck
14 Argyle Street
Albion QLD 4010
PO Box 576 Albion QLD 4010 Welcome to my first report
Tel: 61 (0)7 3862 9893 as President of AMPI
Fax: 61 (0)7 3862 2240 Firstly I would like to express my
sincere thanks to my predecessor
Website: www.ampi.org.au Captain Peter Liley for his hard work
and dedication to AMPI over the past
four years. His commitment and the
President: many hours of his own time have
Peter Liley helped to ensure AMPI’s ongoing
success as the organisation
representing the professional interest
Deputy President: of Pilots throughout Australia. Peter
Rob Buck continues on the Board of AMPI and
I look forward to working with him
and other Board Members
Vice Presidents: throughout my tenure.
Peter Dann
President Rob Buck.
Rowan Brownette
Doug Dow IMPA Congress
The XXII IMPA Congress was held in Panama City and was very well attended
Treasurer: with over 500 delegates from across the world attending the 5 day Congress.

Doug Dow Many papers of interest were presented and of particular interest were
those on the new Panama Locks and Pilot’s liability in various countries
around the world. It is worth noting that the maximum vessel size able to
Secretary: pass through the Canal will rise from LOA 294m and beam of 32.25m to
Helen Gray 366m x 49m.
Captain Mike Watson’s term as President of IMPA came to a close and
Website Manager: Captain Simon Pelletier from Canada was elected to the position.
Chris Haley Papers from the Congress are available on the IMPA website once you have
logged in. As members of AMPI your subscription also includes membership
Editor: of IMPA and to login you will need to register to obtain login details. This
can be done on the IMPA website.
Matt Stannard

Spring 2014 Sydney Workshop

The most recent AMPI workshop was held in Sydney on the 19th and 20th of
June and was very well attended. The theme of the workshop was
“Continuous Professional Development and Pilot Safety Management”.

COVER PICTURE
PSU Eighth taking record export
cargo lift from Port Hedland.
The quality of the presentations was excellent and covered a range of topics
related to the theme and included the following:
Captain Jan Hedegard spoke on matters in relation to training and auditing in
Pilotage with particular reference to the training of Check Pilots. Captain
Hedegard has extensive experience in this area and has expressed a willingness
to return to Australia to assist in running courses for Check Pilots.
Dr Ben Brooks, from AMC presented on Professional Development Training
with a detailed discussion on the work currently being undertaken at the AMC.
We were fortunate to have members of the AMPI, Continuous Professional
Development Committee Captains, Neil Farmer, Rory Main, Rob Tanner and
Craig Eastaugh to present on the proposed CPD within AMPI. This generated
enthusiastic discussion from the floor and will continue to be part of AMPI’s
program going forward. I am sure the CDP Committee would welcome any
suggestions from members in relation to the ongoing development of
this program.

2
President’s Report continued.
Lucinda Orlandi discussed his ongoing research into Pilotage
and Pilotage operations, particularly in relation to Human
Factors. Luca’s research is sponsored by AMPI and I am sure it
will be useful to our organisation once it is completed.
Captain Phillip Holiday, Sydney Harbour Master spoke on
the position of Pilots in Ports and Pilots and Port Safety
Management Systems and their importance in today’s
working environment. These are both matters of
importance to Pilots in the ever changing environment in
which Pilots now find themselves working.
Captain Ravi Nijjer’s presentation on Pilotage Safety
Management Systems was very well received and was
enlightening to many highlighting the many
requirements to ensure that SMS’s are useful and
effective part of any Pilotage operation both to assist in
protecting both Pilots and Pilotage Service providers and
are part of any program of continuous professional
development within an organisation.
Jon Gething provided both useful and relevant
information on personal locating beacons and the
improvements through the use of the latest technology.
The presentation by Mike Hooley from AMSA in relation
to Pilotage was also well received.
Finally, my presentation on liability particularly in relation
to areas where Pilots and Pilotage Service providers may
not be protected under either Federal or State Acts has
generated some considerable discussion.
An important part of running these workshops in the
support we received from our various and valued
sponsors. I would like to take this opportunity to thank
the following:
Sydney Port Corporation the major sponsor of this event
Svitzer Australia
PB Towage
Aus Barge
Marine Rescue Technologies
Without the generosity of these entities it would be
virtually impossible for us to run such quality events.
Finally I would like to thank our Secretary Helen Gray and
Captain Rowan Brownette for their behind the scenes
efforts in putting together the workshop. Their
organisational abilities ensured that the workshop ran
smoothly over the two days and was of benefit to all
those who attended.
AMPI Website
The new AMPI has experienced a number of delays
outside the control of AMPI but is now expected to be
fully operational shortly. Once up and running we
welcome any constructive feedback from Pilots so that we
can make the site both useful and user friendly. Any
feedback can be sent to admin@ampi.org.au.
3
AGM and Summer Workshop
The AGM and Summer Workshop will be held in
Launceston later this year full details will be advised at a
later date.
AMPI Moving Forward
AMPI continues to be represented both at Federal and
State levels of Government through attendance at various
forums. These include NSAG and VTS and e-‐nav working
groups and we work with AMSA’s delegation to IMO and
have the opportunity to have significant input into
Australia’s representations at both NAV and MSC sessions at
the IMO. It is my intention for AMPI to continue to be
involved in these areas and particularly in matters of
Human Centred Design.
Other matters concerning AMPI in the future relate to the
Continuous Professional Development of Pilots and to
develop recommendations on what this should meant to
Pilots and Pilotage service providers. In order to be
successful in this area we need to engage constructively
with organisations such as Ports Australia, private providers,
and regulators in order to maintain the high professional
standards of Pilots throughout Australia.
AMPI needs to continue its involvement in the ongoing
development of Pilotage Safety Management Systems
through both the setting of recommended base guidelines
for PSMS and providing an audit function when requested,
recognising that PSMS’s are not a ‘one size fits all’.
AMPI is already held in high regard in the field of SMS
development and this is evidenced by AMSA’s request
for me to represent AMPI on a panel discussion of
Safety Management Systems at the forthcoming
Maritime14 conference to be held in Melbourne on
10 – 12 November 2014.
Finally one of our most important challenges for the future
is to increase membership. In order to do this it will be
necessary to show the relevance of AMPI to the broader
Pilotage community. I look forward to achieving this goal in
the relatively short term.
I would like to acknowledge all the support I have been
given since taking on the Presidency and I would be happy
to receive suggestions and feedback from members at any
time. I can be contacted at president@ampi.org.au.
I wish you all the best and a safe passage.
Rob Buck
 Contents:

President’s Report 2 Pilots - Don’t Leave Port Without One 12

Ampi Summer Workshop 5 On the Privatisation of Pilotage 13

Experts Guide to Career Pilotage 7 The Bionic Bridge 14

Distractions on the Bridge 8 Risks of Dropping Anchor Underway 16

Azimuthing Control Devices 9 Rolls Royce and Unmanned Ships 17

Editorial
Welcome again to a new edition of Safe Passage. A lot
has happened since the last issue, we have had the IMPA
Congress in Panama, our own very successful workshop in
Sydney and a number of new initiatives have taken place
within AMPI.
Future publications of the magazine will be quarterly,
with two editions timed to be out after each of the twice
yearly workshops. This will allow our membership who
were unable to attend the workshops ready access to the
information that was brought up.
The website will continue to progress as an important
way of disseminating information. Here we plan to have
immediate news posted as it comes to hand; there will be
a copy of Safe Passage and a members’ forum where
views on various topics may be expressed and discussed.
Our next workshop is to be held in Launceston at the
AMC from the 20th to the 21st of November,
programmes will be distributed shortly. It would be great
to see you there.

Matt Stannard • editor@ampi.org.au

Alex Amos
As most of you would know by now, Alex
Amos, former AMPA President and AMPI
Life Member and Fellow, recently suffered
a mild stroke.

I am happy to report that Alex is now out

of hospital and currently undertaking
rehabilitation near his home in Mona Vale.

Alex’s strong constitution and

determination, that we are all familiar
with, has seen him making remarkable
progress towards a full recovery.

He appreciates all the best wishes he has

been receiving from across the industry.

4
AMPI Winter Workshop
The AMPI winter workshop was held in Sydney over the 19th and 20th of June.
It was well attended with around fifty people coming and going throughout the event.
A number of prominent speakers gave their opinions on a diverse range of topics.
For those who were not there the programme included:

• Position of Pilots in Ports - Grant Gilfillan, • Marine Rescue Technologies - Jon Gething
CEO NSW Ports Authority
• PHD Research Presentation - Luca Orlandi
• Ongoing Professional Development Training with
• Civil Liability - Captain Rob Buck
HF Guidance - Dr Ben Brooks, AMC
• ATSB Presentation - Mike Hooley
• Proficiency Checks and CPD- Captain Jan Hedegård
• Pilot Safety Management Systems - Ravi Nijjer
• Pilot and Port SMS and their importance in today’s
working environment - Captain Philip Holliday,
Sydney Harbour Master

Summer Workshop Attendees

Jan Hedegård, workshop presentation

The Last Word on

Proficiency Checks

5
6
Industry Opinion: The experts’ guide
to career pilotage
Michael Grey - first published lloydslistdcn.com.au 24th July 2014
One of the problems of 21st century
maritime life has been the attempt to
reduce virtually every operational function
to a set of procedures.
It is a characteristic of our risk-averse society, which cannot
tolerate the thought that there might be certain things
done on board ship that might rely more upon
immeasurable phenomena such as seamanship or
judgement. Procedures and regulations are regarded as
essential for the subsequent inquiry and trial, should
matters go wrong in the wild, dynamic environment afloat,
when, with the perfect judgement of hindsight, those
responsible can be suitably judged. One area that tends to
defy all attempts to boil it down to a set of standard
procedures is the handling of ships in confined pilotage
waters. Sure, there are now earnest requirements about
berth-to-berth passage planning, and the suitable
information exchange between master and pilot when the
latter boards. There is all manner of guidance about the
bridge team – and how often is this a lone exhausted and
preoccupied shipmaster? – not mentally switching off with
a pilot on board and doing useful things such as parallel
indexing around the bends and constantly checking what is
going on. Pilotage, says Geoff Taylor in his foreword to the
International Maritime Pilots’ Association new book IMPA
on Pilotage, is about “highly skilled individuals using their
judgement, experience and good seamanship to bring
vessels through the dangers that can be found in pilotage
waters”. Capt Taylor is a former IMPA president and was a
Tees pilot for more than 30 years. He knows what he is
writing about. I have watched him at work. But how can
the business of pilotage, which is different in every port in
the world, on account of its geography, topography,
hydrography, meteorology and doubtless several other
ologies that have so far eluded me, be confined between
the hardbacked covers of a single volume? You can’t learn
to be a pilot from a book, can you? Of course, pilots do
learn on the job, assisted these days by wonderful training
aids such as manned models and simulators. However, there
is a great deal that they do need to know that is specific to
their specialist calling and this excellent volume will fill
many of the gaps that might otherwise require some hard
searching elsewhere. Experts’ chapters It is a book that
acknowledges the spectrum of differences between
pilotage operations, calling on a large number of practical
experts from around the world to write chapters and
sections appropriate to their skills. Thus the singular
business of pilotage in straits is described by two experts
from the Bosphorous Strait, a Panama Canal pilot writes on
this unique waterway, where responsibility for safe
navigation is taken by the pilot and two London pilots and
trainers cover simulator training. The information
throughout the book comes, as it were, from the horse’s
mouth. It is not secondhand wisdom.
7
The book begins, perhaps appropriately in this litigious age,
with legal and statutory matters, placing pilotage within
the context of the International Maritime Organization,
national instruments, where the pilots stand in their
somewhat exposed position on issues of criminalisation and
liability, and what immunity and exemptions might offer
them some relief. You hear a great deal of tripe about
casualties in pilotage waters, chiefly from people who have
never been on a ship’s bridge in any operational role, who
make idiotic statements about “most accidents occurring
with a pilot on board”.
This fails to acknowledge the huge numbers of casualties
there would be without the intervention of this specialist
during a transit through the riskiest part of a voyage. It
tends to be the same people who think competition
between pilots would improve matters and that Pilotage
Exemption Certificates should be offered to the ship’s cook.
But I digress.
There are extensive chapters on the conduct of pilotage,
from the routine to the special circumstances of winter
pilotage, deepsea operations, canals and straits. There is a
comprehensive section on ship handling, taking in
propulsion, steering and power and emergencies such as
blackouts, handling high-sided vessels, the use of
azimuthing control devices and phenomena such as squat
and interaction. There is good advice on the use of tugs,
handling warships, sailing vessels and fast craft. Would-be
pilots will be interested in the section on requirements,
training and certification, with various routes into the
profession and the importance of continuous professional
development, mentoring and simulators. Bridge-resource
management for pilots is described, showing how
important it is that the pilot is integrated into the ship’s
team at this important part of the voyage. Fatigue and its
management are given a special section, important in what
is a stressful, round- the-clock profession. There is an
important section on the business of pilot transfer and
ladder safety, which has been an issue over all my working
life. Pilots are still killed and injured in what remains a
hazardous evolution, particularly in open roadsteads or
marginal weather conditions. The book goes on to describe
the use of pilot boats and helicopters. The final section of
the book provides IMPA policies,with the organisation’s
views on competition, the use of electronic charts, E-
navigation and guidelines on design and use of portable
pilot units, covered in separate appendices. The book
recognises the pilot’s role in a fast-changing world in which,
as Geoff Taylor notes, the pilot must be “ever mindful of
the need to look out of the bridge window while adopting
and adapting marine technologies to their skill set”.
IMPA on Pilotage is published by Witherby Publishing
Group, www.witherbys.com, price £75 (US$127.70).
Officer guilty in Canadian ferry sinking
Reproduced courtesy of bairdmaritime.com
by Justin Merrigan

The officer in charge of a ferry that sank
off Canada's Pacific coast, killing two, has
been convicted of criminal negligence
causing death.
The ‘Queen of the North’ was several hours into a routine
overnight passage from the northern community of
Prince Rupert, British Columbia, to Port Hardy on
Vancouver Island, when it struck Gil Island and sank in
March, 2006.
Passengers Gerald Foisy and Shirley Rosette are
presumed dead.
After six days of deliberations the jury returned with the
verdict on Monday against Karl Lilgert, a deckhand who
was filling in as the ship's fourth officer. Crown
prosecutors argued that Lilgert, 59, neglected to steer the
ship because he was distracted by quartermaster Karen
Briker, who he had been having an affair with up until
just weeks earlier.
The voyage marked the first time the former lovers had
worked alone together since the breakup, after both
their spouses found out about the affair. The pair were
either having sex or fighting on the bridge when the
crash took place, the prosecution argued.

Designed and Printed by

SNAP WOLLONGONG

Phone: 02 4228 8411

8
ACD with Azimuthing
Control Devices

The following excerpt is from the booklet titled Piloting Vessels

Fitted With Azimuthing Control Devices (ACD’s), published by the
United Kingdom Marine Pilots Association.
With the cruise season upon us we will be seeing more vessels
with these propulsion systems enter our ports. This should
provide a timely aide memoire to the handling of these vessels.
The full booklet can be downloaded from:
http://impahq.org/admin/resources/article1367420271.pdf

Always confirm which mode the ACD’s are set to - synchronous or

individual (individual is recommended for berthing and narrow
channels due to quicker response time when checking a manoeuvre)
and that the bridge team have put the system into a suitable mode
for pilotage waters/berthing. Most ACD vessels have several
operating modes depending on the stage of the passage and the
type of work the vessel performs.

Speed - There are no dead slow, slow, half orders etc on an ACD vessel – just order the speed
in knots over the ground that you require – you can ask the Master what settings give what
speed of course during the MPX.

When swinging the ACD unit 180 degrees, in normal circumstances it is common practice to
set the unit to zero revs/pitch before swinging and when in the desired position, then apply the
power. However, On most larger vessels the ACDs aren’t fitted with pitch control propellers and
so most manufacturers recommend maintaining a small positive thrust rather than stopping
because there can be lubrication / cooling problems if the ACDs are stopped for any length of
time. If the ACDs aren’t required for a period during a manoeuvre then the recommendation is
to have them clutched in on minimum revs in the neutral ( face to face) mode.

Units are nearly always swung so that the wash goes outboard to avoid the potential of damage
to the other pod – particularly when swinging while they are under load.

Practical Manoeuvring Guide - The diagrams and text that follow show how to set the
azimuthing units in order to achieve a desired manoeuvre/direction. Additionally, the position
to set the handles on the bridge is also shown. Bear in mind responses will vary from vessel
to vessel and in general the larger/heavier/deeper the vessel the less responsive they will be,
particularly to the “walking” type manoeuvres. Particularly very long vessels.

NB: a bow thrust unit has been omitted in order to demonstrate what manoeuvres can be achieved without the aid of a bow thruster.
In reality, most vessels are fitted with a BTU which can therefore be used in conjunction with the azimuthing units at the stern.

9
ACD with Azimuthing Control Devices continued.

Wheelhouse handles

1 Sailing 3 Sailing
slow ahead slow astern

The Bridge control handles can generally be rotated much quicker than the ACD’s
turn, so always consult the position indication gauges to confirm actual position of
the ACD, as these mimic the actual rotation speed of the unit.

2 Sailing
4 Sailing
full ahead full astern

5 Turning to port
7 Turning the
stern to port
Always start with
turning the unit inwards
on the side you wish to
turn towards. The other
unit can also be used in
the same direction to
supplement the turn.

6 Turning to
8 Turning the
stern to
starboard
starboard

final position initial position

Turning on the
9 2
1
Normal stopping
11 spot to port
to prevent cavitation,
2 transverse arrest avoid wash from one
1 thruster entering the
other thruster

final position initial position

Turning on the
10 2 1
Emergency
crash stop
always turn the units
12 spot to starboard
to prevent cavitation,
avoid wash from one
outwards to avoid
2 1 thruster entering the
wash passing over the
other thruster
other unit

10
ACD with Azimuthing Control Devices continued.

Walking the Vessel Walking the Vessel Fast to Port

Walking the Vessel Slowly to Port

The port unit should be set at about 40º to 45º astern and the starboard about 20º
to 30º ahead with more power on the starboard unit. Fore and aft movement is
There should be slightly more power on the port unit to avoid forward momentum. controlled by adjusting the starboard unit’s angle and power rating.

Walking the Vessel Slowly to Starboard Walking the Vessel Fast to Starboard

The starboard unit should be set at about 40º to 45º astern and the port about 20º
to 30º ahead with more power on the starboard unit. Fore and aft movement is
There should be slightly more power on the starboard unit to avoid controlled by adjusting the port unit’s angle and power rating.
forward momentum.

SEE –
it’s not
just your
kids…

11
Pilots - Don’t Leave Port Without One!
By Jeff Slesinger

The captain of the 5,000-HP tug sighted the lights of

Skagway, Alaska about two miles ahead. It was a typical
winter day for Skagway – dark, cold, wind from the SE at
about 30 knots, and a three-to-four-foot sea running up
Taiya Inlet. Skagway was the northernmost port of call for
the 360-foot container barge being towed by the tug. Nine
ports in three days—each with its own set of challenges and
each demonstrating the importance of experience.
It is well-documented that the maritime industry faces a
critical shortage of qualified, competent mariners.
Companies are struggling to replace an experienced but
aging workforce that is departing due to retirement or
health reasons. In addition, as the economy continues to
recover, the business of shipping expands, requiring both
replacement mariners and new hires. In the process, the
true value of experience is sometimes underappreciated
or lost.

Experience Matters
Take our captain shortening his tow wire and taking the
barge alongside to maneuver into the dock in Skagway.
Completing this and subsequent maneuvers in a timely,
efficient and accident-free fashion is good for business.
Yet this everyday maneuver is fraught with peril,
providing ample opportunity for serious damage to
equipment and personnel.
When our tug captain turns on the tug’s deck and flood
lights to illuminate the deck, he bothcreates a safe
workplace on deck and opens the drawer of his mental
“experience” file. This is thememory database he has
acquired over time and can rapidly search for the
applicable skill set or tactic to make the job go smoothly
and without incident.
On this particular day he first evaluates the wind. It is
behind him, pushing the barge along at seven-plus knots.
He recalls the first time he attempted to take the barge
alongside going downwind. The barge caught up to him,
almost ran him over, and took a sheer off to one side that
caused him to yank on the tow wire, make a hard
landing, and end up on the windward side of the barge
struggling to catch up to it.
Two dents, a kinked tow wire and an hour later he had
finally gotten a crewman up on the barge and made up
to it alongside. The cost? $30,000-$50,000 to fix the barge
dents at the next ABS inspection, a $45,000 tow wire with
shortened life, and pay for the longshoremen to stand
around the dock for an extra hour or two.
That was then. Now, because of that experience, he turns
the tug and barge around to head up into the wind to
complete the maneuver. But this only begins the process.
He will make numerous other subtle adjustments – a
touch of throttle at the right moment, shifting the tug a
few feet one way or the other in relation to the barge,
and other on-the-spot decisions that draw on his vast
storehouse of knowledge.
To the longshoremen on the dock it looks like a simple
maneuver: The tug swings around into the wind, shortens
the tow, and then gently comes alongside the barge. But
behind that seemingly simple maneuver are multiple
decisions in which the mallest misjudgment can have
big consequences.
Preserving the Legacy
Experienced mariners are making these kinds of decisions
every day, combing through their mental files, drawing
on lessons learned and thus adding to the efficiency and
profit of their companies. It is in the business interest of
companies to find methods to capture and
institutionalize that knowledge before their best
employees retire.
There are multiple effective ways to transfer that
knowledge, utilizing person-to-person contact as well as
company documentation and communications
infrastructure. Investments in in-house mentor/apprentice
programs and documentation and communication links
can pay long-term dividends.
As one seasoned captain told his apprentice: “There’s no
need for you to repeat all my mistakes.
You’ll make plenty on your own.” The same principle
holds true for companies. It makes good business sense to
invest in the means to capture the knowledge of their
experienced mariners today rather than pay the price of
reacquiring it tomorrow. – MarEx
Captain Jeff Slesinger has been a tugboat captain for
35 years and is the author of two books, “Shiphandling
with Tugs” and “Thrust and Azimuth, Learning to Drive a
Z-drive”. He is also the founder of Delphi Maritime, LLC.

12
On the Privatisation of Pilotage
The Danish Debate by Captain George H Livingstone.
This article first appeared in Work Boat World, June 2014.
A brief history of pilotage
Ships have been plying the world’s oceans for thousands
of years. Mesopotamia is believed to be one of the
earliest civilisations to spread trade through the known
world via ships. Navigating ships across a sea, however,
was entirely separate from entering confined channels,
fairways and harbours, where the already risk-filled
enterprise became nearly impossible to complete safely
without mishap or disaster.
The danger present when a ship ventured into shallower
waters was due to the ship captains of the day not having
nearly enough expertise of the multitude of local
harbours and waterways where trade required to ship to
go. This immediately led captains of trading vessels to
seek out local mariners- usually fishermen- to assist them
in bringing the ship safely into harbour. Tush the job of
pilot was created in the ancient world.
Whilst civilisations as far back as the Babylonians had
codified laws relating to pilots and piloting, the first
recorded laws governing European pilotage are believed
to be from the Reign of King Richard I of England in the
late 1100’s. From there, it continued through the great
empires of the day, such as the Ottoman and the
Venetian, and right on through to the present day.
As the role of the pilot grew, nations, merchants and
shipowners formed guilds to protect their shipping
interests. Soon, pilots became central to any strategy of
“gain on the seas”. In fact, over the decades and
centuries, many a local pilot could become caught in the
middle of a multitude of conflicts between nations. In the
middle ages, for instance, a pilot might find himself
captured by enemy forces just for the expertise possessed
regarding local waters, bays and harbours.
The role of the modern pilot
Today, in any local fairway, bay or harbour, there will be a
pilot group tasked to safely bring all ships into and out of
the requisite body of water. These specialist men and
women most likely have come from a career at sea as
captains- many having extensive
experience at sea prior to becoming a pilot. So it is, then,
that every local waterway in the world with a port will
have a hand-selected highly skilled pilot to ensure the
safety of the ship, the port and the local environment.
One may conclude that the pilot is primarily an expert
ship handler, and that would be correct in a sense. But
any further analysis of piloting reveals the profession to
be much more than just ship driving. If it weren’t,
experienced masters the world over would be willing to
pilot their own vessels.
The pilot is an integral part of a much greater marine
transportation system and has unique, intimate
experience and familiarity within the greater port and
coastal waters being served. This includes knowledge of
marine spatial planning, port state control, associated
traffic systems, regulations, geography and coastal
13
navigational hazards. The pilot will have long established
relations with the various stakeholders in a harbour’s
transportation system from private enterprise to
regulatory body, including, for example, intimate
knowledge of tugs and even individual tug masters.
In addition to the abovementioned, a pilot must also
possess an almost rote memory of perhaps thousands of
ship handling manoeuvres, as well as superior knowledge
of the local environment’s geographical oddities and
obstacles, all of which must be marched to the tune of
public and environmental safety. Ship handling
knowledge and experience is certainly vital, but it is only
a small part of the great added value brought onto any
bridge by a well-trained and experienced pilot.
A public service
Pilots are the independent guardians of each port and
fairway served and must possess the skill to not only safely
navigate ships but, just as importantly, must know when to
advise against moving said ship. They must walk the fine
line between keeping commerce moving while still
safeguarding the environment. Most assuredly, they should
believe in standards of professional conduct that are
greater than self-interest and embrace the public trust.
Few would disagree that pilotage is a public service, and as
such can only be accomplished under navigation safety
regulation- that is to say compulsory, non-competitive
pilotage. It may seem counter-intuitive, but free market
competition in piloting is a direct threat to the natural
environment and safety, as underscored by the vast number
of countries that embrace navigation safety regulation.
In a competitive environment, pitting pilot against pilot,
the first thing to be sacrificed would be safety, “I will do
what I have to do to get the work and feed my family”.
The freedom to exercise independent judgement is the
single greatest factor in protecting regional waterways,
bays, and local communities from the intense pressure on
on-time international shipping delivery, and that
independence can only come through regulation.
The Danish Debate
It is with grave concern that this writer finds another great
nation rich with maritime tradition, one of the leading
seagoing countries, in fact, presently moving to bring
competitive piloting within its waterways, thus, in the
author’s opinion, jeopardising safety and the environment.
At the time of writing, the Danish Maritime Authority is
submitting legislation in the Danish Parliament to amend
the Danish Piloting Act through the introduction of
competition. Known as the Modernisation of the Pilotage
Act bill, the maritime authority claims the main purpose of
the bill is to improve the efficiency and safety of navigation
in Danish waters.
First submitted in December 2013, the bill is a follow-up on
the Danish Government’s publication in the field of
On the Privatisation of Pilotage continued.
competition policy from October 2012, entitled Enhanced
competition for the benefit of Denmark. According to a
statement by the Danish Maritime Authority, the bill,
“also makes it possible for the Danish Maritime Accident
Investigation Board to investigate diving accidents and
makes the level of penalty severer in case a marine
accident is caused or in case of navigation contrary to
sound seamanship.”
It should be pointed out that there is significant debate on
this subject, from prominent maritime nations and
international organisations across the globe, including
Canada, Germany, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, the United States, and the United Kingdom, all of
which stand squarely behind proposals to exclude pilotage
from market access in any new transportation regulations
being considered worldwide, including regulations being
drawn up by the European Union.
Earlier in 2013, before the official submission of the bill,
the Danish Maritime Pilots Association published any
anticipatory report, finding that the Danish market
would not be, “large enough for healthy and
sustainable competition”.
The Bionic Bridge
Faith in machines and computers has led to
increasingly sophisticated bridges, but the
realisation that the human must be kept in
the loop has caused a shift in thinking, by
Mike Gerber.
Ten years from now, ship’s bridges might resemble
something out of the science-fiction TV series Star Trek,
with technology that adapts to humans, not the other
way round. That is the thinking that underpins a new,
part-EU funded three-year research project that could
radically transform bridge design within our lifetime.
The aim of the CASCADe project is to develop an
adaptive bridge system that recognises, prevents and
recovers from human errors by improving the interaction
between crew and machines on the bridge.
Seven project partners from five countries are
collaborating on the project: Oldenburg Research and
Development Institute for Information Technology Tools
and Systems (Germany), design, engineering and risk
management consultants BMT Group
(UK), integrated bridge and navigation systems developer
Raytheon Anschutz (Germany), shipowner/manager
Mastermind Shipmanagement (Cyprus), the University of
Cardiff (UK), maritime R&D manufacturer Marimatech
(Denmark) and ergonomic and human-centred designer
Symbio (Belgium).
14
“Pilotage is first and foremost a question of preventing
accidents,” said the association’s report. “In a market-based
scenario, there is a risk that the pilot’s obligations as
accident preventer clash with the pilot’s incentive to make
money. In addition, it will be difficult to find a good
solution to the supply obligation and especially the pilotage
services that generate major losses.”
Ultimately, the report concluded that deregulation of the
pilotage industry would result in poorer safety practises,
the risk of unhealthy incentive structures, and even
increased costs.
Responsible marine transportation governance is
conscientious, accountable and sensible. Let us hope, for
the sake of the public trust, the Danish Parliament knows
the difference between good and bad marine
transportation governance. Those who have been in
command at sea who know full well the stakes at hand.
*Captain George H Livingstone is a vice president of the
Nautical Institute, a San Francisco Bar Pilot, and a member
of the Harbour Safety Committee for San Francisco Bay. In
2006 he authored the book Tug Use Offshore, and the was
a contributing author to the book IMPA On Pilotage,
published in 2014.
Their research will build on previous studies which show
that the proliferation of increasingly complex technology
that confronts officers on bridges, the multitude of
different user interfaces and provision of too much
information, leads to crew errors.
“CASCADe is not directly addressing situations where
outright system failure of bridge equipment leads to an
incident,” explained BMT senior research scientist Dr Gary
Randall, one of the key figures behind the project. “What
we want to do is deal with the majority of safety-related
incidents that, as it’s well-established, are caused by
human error.” This may be error as a result of not dealing
well with equipment failure, but is often an error that is
initiated by what the operator does, or does not do, as a
result of what context they are in, he clarified. Randall
explained that the project owners want to make the
bridge more sensitive to the context of the vessel “so that
it is more difficult for the human to get into a chain of
events in which they lose situation awareness and
eventually have an incident”. The project is “about
consistency of information presentation, removing excess
redundancy, the usability of displays, detection of ‘bad’ or
inappropriate bridge settings, supporting communication
between the bridge team members etc.”
By way of example, a frequent factor in groundings or
collisions, he told SAS, is that people lose situational
awareness. “If information is not shared or not
understood by the bridge team of a single vessel, this can
be extrapolated so you’re then not sure about what
people are doing on other vessels, and that can be
The Bionic Bridge continued.
exacerbated by confusing or unfamiliar presentation of
information on bridges,” Randall explained. Most bridge
displays are not optimal for what they are supposed to
do. “A lot of existing bridges are cobbled together
piecemeal with bits of hardware from different
manufacturers,” Randall maintained.
As part of the project his team made several research
trips on a ferry. The vessel was professionally run and
travelled between two Danish islands. There were seven
representations of the bearing of the vessel on the bridge
and these varied in how they provided the information to
the user. This highlighted an issue about variability and
redundancy in the interfaces, Randall said.
Typically in computer interaction or human-machine
interface studies, the working environment concerns one
person sitting in front of a computer, or sometimes one
person in front of several screens. Randall compares this
situation with a ship’s bridge on which several people are
sitting in front of several screens. This is then replicated
on other vessels.
“It’s a distributed system and there are open research
questions about what’s necessary and what’s sufficient, or
what are the best levels for maintaining distributed
situational awareness among this team of people,”
Randall explained.
The thrust of the project, Randall said, is to take account
from the start of the design process of what people are
comfortable and familiar with. For example, displays that
are customisable, particular layouts of information, colours,
and spatial configuration of components on a screen.
ECDIS questions
Much of the feedback that Randall obtained concerned
ECDIS. “There’s a lot of functionality built in, but it’s hidden
away in menus or behind a series of clicks. There are
fundamental usability issues about why people are not
using some of the functions that are there at the moment,”
he said. One of these functions allows alarms to be set if a
series of way-points are missed. If, for example, a bridge
crew member falls asleep and the way-points are missed,
these alarms should wake him/her. “But groundings happen
all the time, so people don’t use this state-of-the-art
functionality. We try to assess why,” Randall stated.
Six months into the project, Randall revealed ideas that
have begun to emerge around specific scenarios, for
instance when a pilot comes aboard or when somebody
takes over the watch. “You can have a bad handover.
Somebody comes on to the bridge, he points out the
window and says, ‘the weather’s out there, the radar’s here.
Goodbye, I’m offff to bed’. That could obviously lead to
problems, so we would like to not take away people’s
ability to do that, but try to support the handover situation
by automatically gathering information on different bits of
equipment on the bridge and showing a sort of pr cis of
the situation.”
That, as the CASCADe team presently conceives it, could be
on a tablet device that displays a representation of local
traffic, weather information, speed, bearing, anything else
that supports the handover, particularly where language
issues are a problem.
15
Another scenario is where the captain is not on the bridge
when an impending emergency is detected by someone
who does not feel competent enough to know what to do.
Randall acknowledged that on many vessels, there will be
remote screens in the captain’s cabin giving him a
representation of radar and traffic.
Randall envisages that feeding this information onto a
tablet computer or a similar portable device could also be
beneficial as it could provide an expedient way for the
master to get up to speed on the situation before he or she
reached the bridge.
The partners are also wondering if better use could be
made of the whiteboards that are usually found at the back
of the bridge. “It’s usually a dead area,” said Randall. “You
could imagine projecting information onto that. Instead of
having six people in panic situations crowding round one
monitor, it’s all up there on the wall.” He also proposed
making the bridge more intelligent so it becomes “context
sensitive”. In other words, it becomes more aware of what
the user needs.
Once CASCADe has developed the prototypes and
disseminated its findings, it is up to the inter-connected
industries, perhaps with regulatory prompting, to take
proposals forward. Randall envisions that the bridge of
the future could look very different: “You’ll have
something that looks a bit more like the bridge of the
Enterprise in Star Trek rather than something that looks
like a bulk carrier.”
Fore and aft
One company that is aiming to make similar strides in
bridge development is Kongsberg Maritime. In February
2012 Kongsberg launched the Situmar project to study how
people make decisions during demanding and advanced
marine operations, particularly under stress. Its objective
was to build optimal systems for situational awareness and
operator decision support. “We are now exactly half way
through the three-year project and this autumn will be
dedicated to the system design,” Thor Hukkel s, ongsberg’s
principal engineer, marine operations, told SAS.
He sees many similarities between the Situmar and
CASCADe projects. “Perhaps the main difference is that the
Situmar has its main focus on demanding offshore
operations connected to the offshore oil and gas industry;
the main bridge is the aft bridge. The CASCADe project
seems to be more focused on traditional shipping and the
fore bridge.”
Hukkel s’ views on bridge design have radically shifted in
recent years. He firmly believes that technology should
adapt to humans, not the other way around. “We need to
design automation systems and technology that adapt to
humans and maintain the human in the loop at all times,”
he affirmed. “We must see the environment, the machines
and humans as a whole. Combining engineering cybernetics
with cognitive psychology is one approach to achieve this.”
With nearly 80% of collisions and groundings attributed to
failures of bridge systems and their use, the industry must
surely wish a fair wind to these projects.
Article first appeared in Safety at Sea. More information
can be found at http://www.cascadeproject.eu
Risks of Dropping the Anchor Underway
Risks of dropping the anchor underway- excerpt from Mars Report

The Nautical Institute has issued Mars Report

No.40 regarding risks of dropping the
anchor underway. The official report has
been edited from The Dutch Safety Board.

In calm weather and good visibility, a cargo vessel under

pilotage while departing port was overtaking a tug
towing a pontoon. The cargo vessel's electrical needs at
the time were being supplied via the shaft generator.
Both of the ship's service generators were shut down to
save on fuel.
While overtaking the pontoon, the cargo vessel's main
engine suddenly failed.
Since the electrical systems on board the vessel were
linked to the main engine via the shaft generator, the
electricity failed as well and for a short period of time the
vessel suffered a blackout. During the blackout, the
rudder unexpectedly turned to port, causing the vessel to
deviate sharply from its course and toward the tug and
tow. In order to prevent a collision, the captain, on VHF
radio, ordered the anchor let go. As there were crew on
deck at the time, the anchor was let go very quickly after
the order - within 15 seconds. At the time the anchor was
let go the cargo vessel still had a speed over ground
(SOG) of 7.5 knots.
Despite the attempts by the AB to secure the winch
brake, the anchor chain continued to run out. The last
length of chain had broken loose from the chain locker,
and the AB was hit and fatally injured by the bitter end.
The cargo vessel collided with the pontoon almost
imultaneously with the breaking free of the anchor chain.
Both vessels sustained limited damage as a result of
the collision.
Lessons learned
The use of the anchor to slow down the ship in an
emergency:
IACS stipulates that an anchor must be constructed in
such a way that it is suitable to anchor a ship temporarily
in 'moderate' ambient conditions. The anchor gear is not
designed to stop a ship. Anchoring at high speed is an
extremely risky operation that may result in fatal injuries
to crew members and serious damage to the ship. Such a
manoeuvre should only be considered in an extreme
emergency. The captain, in consultation with the bridge
team, should assess whether the potential benefits of
such a manoeuvre outweighs the substantial risks for the
crew and ship.
View more information at Mars Report No.40/2013

16
Rolls-Royce imagines a Future of
Unmanned Ships
This article was first published on March 5, 2014,
in BBC News’ Technology webpage.
Unmanned cargo ships could become a reality on our
oceans within the decade, according to manufacturer Rolls-
Royce. The firm has been showing off the designs for its
concept crewless ships.
The EU is funding a $4.7 million project dubbed Maritime
Unmanned Navigation through Intelligence (Munin) which
aims to develop its own autonomous ship.
Experts remain divided over whether such vessels will
become a reality.
No crew
Writing about the future of shipping Oskar Levander, Rolls-
Royce’s vice president of innovation, engineering and
technology said: “Now it is time to consider a road map to
unmanned vessels of various types. Sometimes what was
unthinkable yesterday is tomorrow’s reality.
“Given that the technology is in place, is now the time to
move some operations ashore? Is it better to have a crew of
20 sailing in a gale in the North Sea, or say five in a control
room on shore?” he asked.
A remote-controlled ship would look quite different to a
traditional one, he added, largely because there would
be no need for the facilities and systems currently needed
for a crew.
“Eliminate or reduce the need for people and vessels could
be radically simplified,” he said.
According to Moore Stephens LLP, an industry consultant,
crew costs account for 44% of total operating costs for a
large container ship.
E-navigation
Maritime transport has seen significant spikes in volumes
in recent years and shipping is now worth $375bn
(£224bn) annually.
17
There are approximately 100,000 merchant ships in
operation around the world with certain areas of water –
such as the English Channel – clogged with vessels.
Unmanned ships are currently illegal under international
law, according to Simon Bennett, a spokesman for the
International Chamber of Shipping, an industry
representing more than 80% of the global fleet.
“It would require a complete overhaul of the regulatory
regime. Apart from the safety considerations, there would
also be a lot of questions from bodies such as trade
unions,” he told the BBC.
“While I wouldn’t dismiss it completely, realistically it is
hard to see remote-controlled ships without any crew for
two to three decades,” he added.
But there is, he said, intense debate in the shipping industry
at the moment about the use of e-navigation – using
computerised systems to navigate ships from dry land.
The ships would still have crews but some of the
operational control would be moved to a system known as
vessel traffic services, he explained.
For now Rolls-Royce’s plans for robot ships remain at the
concept stage but it is busy showing off its paper designs
in the hope of persuading the industry that such change
is inevitable.
And it has precedents from other transport industries.
Car manufacturers, from Tesla to Nissan and Daimler
have promised self-drive cars will be on the roads by 2020
or sooner.
 The
Australiasian
Marine Pilots
Institute

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