Establishment on HSE management system of the oceanographic research vessels

Abstract

An oceanographic research vessel is a special vessel designed to conduct research at sea on relevant natural elements and characteristics of the ocean and acquire its basic parameters with professional researchers and specialized equipment on board. It features an integration of the ship platform, research equipment and professional researchers. It is estimated that our country owns at least 50 oceanographic research vessels with each weighing over 300 tons without calculating the vessels of China Coast Guard. Normally the safety management of oceanographic research vessels involves the establishment and implementation of a structured and documented safety management system both ashore and onboard according to laws and regulations such as ISM Code and NSM Code by the ship management center of the institute which owns the research vessels. The oceanic research team is usually composed of professional researchers from multiple institutes. As main conductors of the research, they are required to work under the safety management system and operate safely pursuant to relevant research standards. The author has taken part in a number of oceanic research projects and identified several problems concerning the safety management of oceanographic research vessels. For example; the management system is still a matter of formality; there is a lack of communication across disciplines and among management groups; no training is carried out for a chosen safety management system; the establishment of the management system is once and for and there is hardly any continuous improvement and information sharing mechanism; safety evaluation and effective on-site safety monitoring mechanism is not in place before the vessels sail off. Therefore it is necessary to establish the HSE(Health, Safety, and Environmental) management system for oceanographic research vessels, which ensures that scientifically valid data can be accessed during oceanic research with harm, zero damage and zero pollution and helps improve our managerial capabilities, technological skills and global status in the field of oceanic research. Concerning the establishment of the HSE management system that is compatible with the functions and the management model of oceanographic research vessels, the management experience of large enterprises from home and abroad should be borrowed and the following aspects should be taken into consideration: the chief manager should highlight the importance of resource investment, guarantee its implementation, spread the concept of safety and environment management and take the lead in building a sound HSE culture in order to encourage the crew and all the members of the research team to develop an awareness of self-protection; organize a special team composed of personnel familiar with the oceanographic research vessels to compile documents of the management system; run the HSE management system throughout the process of a research project; enhance the training for HSE management system, establish a safety training system covering all the team members and improve the comprehensive qualities of the team in all-respects; pay more attention to the safety evaluation procedures including risk identification, risk assessment and risk control; improve emergency management, prepare all kinds of contingency plans by experts specialized in relevant fields and issue the plans only upon approval as a critical part of safety disclosure and safety training; base the establishment and operation of the HSE management system on the principle of continuous improvement.