Alcohol effects on navigational ability using ship handling simulator

Abstract

In this paper, to examine the drinking status of officers on board multiple choice questionnaires were circularized under instruction and surveyed for 118 officers. Also, with a ship handling simulator, the effect of alcohol on maritime navigational performance is studied for the three blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) levels (0.0%, 0.05% and 0.08%). The eight participants were volunteer deck officer cadets in their senior year, at least 22 years of age, with previous experience on a bridge simulator. Additional experiments were done on maritime pilots. For baseline and performance trials, participants were randomized to one of four bridge simulator scenarios according to the current and the direction of the wind. In order to study the effects of alcohol on maritime navigational ability, (1) bio-signals using electrocardiogram (ECG), (2) performance using a simulator, and (3) mental workload using NASA-TLX were measured. As a result, this study found that alcohol intake significantly impairs the physical and mental ability of the ship operator. In particular, alcohol intake was found to have a direct correlation with changes in bio-signals such as heart rate not to mention simulator performance. In addition, alcohol intake increased mental workload according to the subjective mental workload evaluation undertaken by the test subject. The result of the analysis in this study includes the limited quantitative measure of the effects of alcohol, which is a major cause of operator fatigue. Relevance to Industry The alcohol effects on navigational ability and the frequency of drunken navigation are one of important interests in the maritime industry.