RE - IMAGINING MARITIME COMPETENCE

When we talk to our non-seafaring friends or family about our profession and say we sail the high seas, they say, "Wow, you're so lucky to see so many places in the world."

- RISQ Series | Article 24 Author: Capt. Robert Vaz, Chief Operating Officer, Navguide Solutions

Some have a romantic picture of ships, thanks to Hollywood, Bollywood, and, of course, some of the glitzy cruise ships. But all this glamorous portrayal is just the tip of the iceberg. As seafarers, we know exactly the issues we deal with.

Here are a few challenges we face in our marine profession

● Long isolation away from family

● Loneliness

● Unable to be at home when our family needs us most

● Rough weather

● Piracy and kidnapping

● No escape from the work environment

● Long contracts with uncertainty of sign offand even sign on for that matter

● No shore leave for weeks and months

● Hectic work schedule and quick turnaround in ports

● Working in shifts day and night, six on, six off at times

● Cultural differences, including food

● Communication challenges

● Limited opportunities to relax or socialise

● Physically very demanding

● At times, poor living conditions

● High-stress nature of the job

And the list goes on. Now add to this the gaps in our competency skills. If we lack professional development or practical skills, or if we can't bridge the gap between the theoretical lessons learned at maritime institutes and day-to-day ship operations, all this adds up to mental stress.

As seafarers, we all know how it feels when we cannot answer a vetting or PSC inspector, and even worse, when the inspector raises this during the closeout meeting while discussing the findings. For example, the ECDIS safety settings were incorrect, and the officer-in-charge could not show the settings mentioned in the passage plan/navigational manual. Or the engineer could not correctly demonstrate the incinerator's safety checks. These findings are detrimental to the outcome of the vetting inspection.