We all like to have a good night’s sleep; we feel better when we do and we certainly feel much worse when we don’t.
Proper rest and sleep, however, are not merely matters of personal comfort; they are vital to a person’s physical and mental well-being. Furthermore, those without proper sleep are likely to make more mistakes and suffer from more accidents.
We all like to have a good night’s sleep; we feel better when we do and we certainly feel much worse when we don’t.
Proper rest and sleep, however, are not merely matters of personal comfort; they are vital to a person’s physical and mental well-being. Furthermore, those without proper sleep are likely to make more mistakes and suffer from more accidents.
This is particularly true on working ships, where crew are engaged in both physically and mentally demanding work, at times in dangerous situations and having to fulfill work rosters that are tight and demanding for all on board.
To illustrate this easily: for anyone reading who is a parent, remember the first few months after the birth, and the effect that the constant sleep interruptions had on you. Now imagine you have to carry out dangerous work while suffering the effects from repeated poor sleep. You are both physically weaker and mentally less alert. A strong cup of coffee cannot cure that.
Psychological Impact on Seafarers
Over time, fatigue has a severe wearing effect on the human body which can lead to long- term physical and mental issues. It is also a question of whether a ship’s working environment is sufficiently good to entice the crewman to come back after his shore time. The industry continues to face a significant challenge in retaining experienced crew and making the job an attractive long-term career option. Experienced seafarers are invaluable to the safe operation of vessels and to the profitable enterprise they are engaged in.
Accidents Will Happen If Crew Do Not Have Sufficient Rest And Sleep
Skuld P&I Club has had to deal with many cases over the years which were either directly related to fatigue or where it played a significant role. These ranged from minor personal injuries to major fires, collisions and groundings.
Three particular cases include:
Grounding of a cargo vessel south of Greece where the Master believed he was sufficiently well rested but nevertheless fell asleep in a chair next to the chart table in such a position that the Bosun could not see the Master was asleep. The vessel, on autopilot and with the deadman alarm turned off, subsequently grounded at speed causing severe damage.
A Chief Engineer, who had been working extensively on main engine repairs without good rest for almost 2 days, began to undertake maintenance on the vessel’s thermal oil system. He hurried the dangerous task of cleaning out the system of waste material, leading to a significant engine room fire which ultimately lead to his own death as well as further casualties on board.
A crewman on board a ship passing the Iberian peninsula suffered a psychological breakdown and had a misadventure that lead to him perishing in the sea. Investigations revealed that the seafarer had served 7 months without a break on the ship, and had joined her without leave immediately after his previous ship service ended.
All of these matters were entirely preventable.
Further information on the issues of fatigue as experienced and reported by seafarers can be gleaned from the International Transport Workers’ Federation’s (ITF) data, which includes information that one in four seafarers has reported falling asleep while on watch, and many report that over time their working hours on board have increased rather than eased off.
Fatigue on board ships is, therefore, a major cause for concern.
*To be concluded next week
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