Seafarer Fatigue And The Implications On Seaworthiness

Fatigue is generally described as a state of feeling tired, weary, or sleepy that results from prolonged mental or physical work, extended periods of anxiety, exposure to harsh environments, or loss of sleep. The result of fatigue is impaired performance and diminished alertness. A common symptom of fatigue is a change in the level of risk that a person accepts, or a tendency to accept lower levels of performance and not correct errors which come about in the course of performing tasks while fatigued. All these could have a significant impact on shipboard operations and personal safety.

Seafarers often work hours that would not be tolerated in any other mode of transport. Safety at sea is seriously compromised by fatigue, with often catastrophic consequences. Some high profile examples of casualties in which seafarer fatigue has been a key causal factor include, the Exxon Valdez, Cita, Jambo, Pasha Bulker, and Thor Gitta, to name a few.

Research carried out with the support of the Trade Union, Nautilus International, claims that:

A quarter of seafarers say they have fallen asleep while on watch Almost half report working 85-hour weeks or more and say that their working hours increased over the last ten years despite regulations being introduced Over a third believe that their working hours may pose a danger to the safe operations of their ship Research also shows how the problems are exacerbated by false record keeping and lack of enforcement of the regulations.

If the above statistics are to be believed then it stands to reason that fatigue is causative in far more marine casualties than recorded.

On 20 August 2013 new regulations came into force with the implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC). These included new regulations regarding the hours of rest for seafarers. Up until then, hours of rest regulations varied throughout the industry depending on which Flag State a ship was registered with. Flag State regulations that were largely based on STCW, and that did not recognise the ILO 180 convention, were open to varied interpretation that enabled Ship Operators and Owners to approach the problem of fatigue with greater convenience, rather than confront it head on. Under the old provisions of STCW, where later legislation was not adopted it was potentially acceptable for a seafarer to work 98 hours per week.

Now with the implementation of the MLC, the minimum standard is more universal and it is clear to all that these...

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