Monitoring the frequency of collisions, groundings or contact damages for the past 20 years, DNV strongly believes that NAUT-AW and NAUT-OC is an additional class notation that shipowners should not operate without.
Statistics from 1990 to 2000 point a 50% reduction in the number of nautical contact-related accidents for vessels sailing with DNV's class notation, NAUT-AW and NAUT-OC.
This significant improvement is linked to DNV's special emphasis on the total bridge system, involving the streamlined integration of human operation, technical systems and onboard procedures.
Detailed casualty statistics, based on the IMO model for accident investigation and issued by an official investigation board, reveal that most of marine accidents can be avoided by addressing the human factor.
In the total bridge system, the operator is one part of the total system and should be weighed against all the pros and cons of human nature. By acknowledging that humans are not perfect we can pinpoint certain 'faulty' human tendencies and deal with them prior to an accident happening.
In most cases, marine accidents can be avoided if the human element is duly considered as an integral link to the overall system, but it is wrong to blame a navigator for situation-caused accidents, of which may have been provoked by weaker links throughout the total bridge system chain.
For instance, if a navigator is focused on resetting an alarm and the vessel runs aground, this could primarily be looked upon as a multi-source failure involving technical systems, the human-machine interface and bridge ergonometry. In this case, the accident could be classified as a 'bridge system failure' rather than 'human error' file.
Increased focus on special vessels
The NAUT-AW and NAUT-OC class notation, which focuses on the navigation bridge system, largely addresses voyages/ transits from port to port, is suited for special Offshore Service Vessels (OSV). OSVs work closely to offshore installations and safety is a key issue, especially when manoeuvring and discharging cargo in rough seas.
To further make the NAUT notations fully suitable for ships operating close to offshore installations, DNV in cooperation with five shipowners and two oil companies have developed guidelines for improving bridge systems onboard Offshore Service Vessels (NAUT-OSV). The new guidelines will tackle vital factors including bridge design, the working environment, human-machine interface and ergonomic principles.
The new guidelines follow an industry-initiated project to improve the aft working posi
tion of OSVs, thereby securing optimal vessel control and full monitoring of cargo deck activities. DNV, responsible for safety-related issues, cooperated with leading offshore companies and personnel with comprehensive operational experience to produce a concise statistical evaluation. It shows that there is a significant difference in the frequency of nautical accidents for vessels with and without the NAUT-OC and NAUT-AW class notations. And there is no doubt that increased focus on the bridge system will increase safety at sea.
For more information contact:
Knut.Svein.Ording@dnv.com