Aboard Ships Research Articles

Implementation of Work Safety for Crew on MV. Ibrahim Zahier

Safety at sea is a top priority in the maritime industry. Accidents can occur on land or aboard ships, often due to negligence regarding safety protocols. An analysis of accidents reveals that each incident has a causal factor. Ship operations involve various tasks, both light and heavy, which pose risks to crew safety. This study employs a qualitative methodology, utilizing direct observation of the ship and conducting interviews to gather necessary research data, along with reading and referencing various materials. The findings of this study are as follows: 1) Accidents involving crew members often result from failing to adhere to established safety standards, specifically, those outlined in the Safety Management System (SMS) on the ship; 2) The consequences of such accidents can include eye infections caused by rust or corrosion fragments entering the eyes. Affected crew members must receive special treatment on land after initial care is provided by the 2nd officer, which includes rinsing the eyes with an eyewash solution; and 3) To improve safety for the crew, the Captain should instruct all crew members to review the procedures outlined in the Safety Management System (SMS) regularly. Additionally, the Captain should emphasize these procedures during meetings and actively monitor any potentially hazardous work activities.

Steps toward developing a comprehensive fatigue monitoring and mitigation solution: perspectives from a cohort of United States Naval Surface Force officers.

This study analyzed fatigue and its management in US Naval Surface Force warships, focusing on understanding current practices and barriers, and examining the influence of organizational and individual factors on managing chronic fatigue. Furthermore, this study explored the impact of organizational and individual factors on fatigue management. As part of a larger study, 154 naval officers (mean ± standard deviation; 31.5 ± 7.0 years; 8.8 ± 6.8 years of service; 125 male, and 29 female) completed a fatigue survey. The survey addressed (1) self-reported fatigue, (2) fatigue observed in others, (3) fatigue monitoring strategies, (4) fatigue mitigation strategies, and (5) barriers to fatigue mitigation. Logistic and ordinal regressions were performed to examine the effect of individual (i.e. sleep quality and years in military service) and organizational (i.e. ship-class) factors on fatigue outcomes. Fatigue was frequently experienced and observed by 23% and 54% of officers, respectively. Of note, officers often monitored fatigue reactively (i.e. 65% observed others nodding off and 55% observed behavioral impairments). Still, officers did not frequently implement fatigue mitigation strategies, citing few operationally feasible mitigation strategies (62.3%), being too busy (61.7%), and not having clear thresholds for action (48.7%). Fatigue management varies across organizational factors, which must be considered when further developing fatigue management strategies. Fatigue remains a critical concern aboard surface force ships and it may be better addressed through development of objective sleep and fatigue monitoring tools that could inform leadership decision-making.

Remembering the Cotton Screwmen: Inter-racial Waterfront Labor and the Development of Sailors’ Chanties

AbstractThe prevailing white racial frame surrounding discourse on the sailor work songs called chanties (popularly, “sea shanties”) means that discussions tend to ignore or minimize these songs’ African American heritage. Articulating revised and more just historical narratives of chanties is additionally challenged by the normative approach of setting discussions within the spatial frame of the sea. We may overcome these challenges by recentering the frame of discussion on an adjacently situated space of shoreside labor and its actors, cotton screwmen. Throughout the nineteenth century, the United States’ cotton export trade depended upon screwmen's work of stowing cotton bales aboard ships in port. Although all screwmen were Black men during the profession's formative period, by mid-century, white men had joined the profession in complementary proportion. This created an unusual case, not only of both racial groups performing the same labor but also of white men entering and accommodating to an already-established “Black” labor environment. Importantly, from the advent of their profession, screwmen practiced singing to coordinate their labor. I argue that white sailors who came to work seasonally as screwmen were compelled to acculturate to existing African American work singing, and thus acquired the material and conceptual bases to develop the shipboard work songs best remembered as “chanties.” As the first ever sustained exposition of screwmen's forgotten singing, this essay contests both popular narratives’ granting of exclusive agency to white seafaring and academic discussions that tokenize African American heritage as an “influence” rather than the chanty genre's foundation.

Challenges and Opportunities to Maximize Mental Health among Shipboard Sailors: A Qualitative Study

Recent reports show U.S. sailors have the highest rates of self-reported psychological health symptoms of any service, perhaps in part due to the unique challenges of serving in a shipboard environment. Resources are available to maximize the psychological health of sailors while at sea, though no empirical research is available regarding sailors’ perspectives on what strategies, services, and programs they find most helpful and accessible. To address this knowledge gap, thirteen focus groups were conducted with sailors from two different ships (n = 86) to determine how they manage stress and maximize psychological health while underway. Content analysis of focus group transcripts conducted by two independent reviewers identified themes within three content areas: strategies and resources to manage stress and maximize psychological health; challenges to accessing supportive services and resources; and opportunities to improve psychological health. Five themes emerged for managing stress underway, the most common of which was engaging in physical fitness. Others included participating in organized social events, general comradery and social support, seeking help from medical, and communicating with Chaplains. Social and logistical barriers to seeking psychological healthcare were identified, including stigma, fear of adverse career repercussions, and too few providers/long wait times. Suggestions for improving psychological health at sea included improving sleep health, changes to workload and scheduling, increased shipboard providers trained in psychological healthcare, and increased social support. Specific interventions that may benefit shipboard sailors are sleep health education, improvements to berthing areas, adoption of circadian watchbills, telemedicine, and an increased number of social events aboard ships.

Early Byzantine vases carved in Prokonnesian marble from ancient Halasarna (Kos Island, Dodecanese, Greece)

The paper stems from archaeometric provenance studies, which proved that some vases from excavations at Kardamaina, ancient Halasarna, of Kos had been carved in Prokonnesian marble. The items under consideration are four-handled bowls whose grips are decorated with incised motifs. The proven use of Prokonnesian marble not only for architectural members, but also for smaller artifacts indicates that vases were among the Prokonnesian marble products imported to Kos from Constantinopolitan workshops. These imports are dated to the 5th and 6th centuries AD, a time of intense building activity not only in the town of Kos, but also in the island’s seaside settlements (Kardamaina, Mastichari, Antimacheia, Kefalos, etc.). It remains, however, unclear if these vases were imported finished or semifinished from Prokonnesos, together with architectural members, aboard stone-carrying ships sailing across the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

Implementation of Aggregated Response Plan to Effectively Protect Crew Health and Safety and Prevent Spread of Covid-19 Pandemic Aboard Ships

The global outbreak of Covid-19 has had a severe impact affecting all maritime sectors. It caused a significant worldwide health and economic crisis with a wide-ranging impact on maritime transport and trade. During this period, access to essential goods and medical items was ensured mainly by the ability of the marine supply chain to adapt by developing systems and processes quickly. Thus, regulations and instructions were imposed in response to the pandemic to monitor and counter the spread and the ancillary effects. This paper aims to assess and codify all those maritime regulations and instructions hastily created to protect the crew's health and safety and prevent the spread of Covid-19 aboard ships. Initially, all relevant rules and countermeasures to crew health and safety are explored and evaluated under the exploratory research coupled with the analysis of the relevant regulatory framework. Then, methods and processes are being created and proposed to offer a composed reaction plan to each case where the effects and consequences of the pandemic may occur. The relevant regulations are the primary source of data and similar studies conducted presently, whose outcomes are used to create and justify the recommended processes and the steps that should be followed based on the special conditions of individual cases. The paper concludes that implementing standard processes and procedures, such as those provided by the analysis, will enhance the speed and the effectiveness of handling the pandemic. It is also concluded that proactive measures coupled with fast and efficient responses are critical for developing effective procedures.

Dying to survive: Ransom piracy and ontologies of death in Coastal Somalia

Interactions between long-term hostages and hostage takers remain undertheorized in criminology, and the present study attempts to fill this gap by utilizing testimonials from long-term hostages held aboard ships. We argue that seafarer hostages’ testimonials depict hijacked vessels as carceral sites that reflect and reproduce the global economic inequalities and racialized patterns of violence undergirding the broader geopolitics of piracy. Utilizing a threefold theoretical framework that unites and builds upon narrative inquiry, narrative criminology and victimology, and thanatopolitics, our analytical energies focus on the centrality of ontologies of death in hostages’ accounts of being held for ransom aboard ships. Our findings emphasize how ontologies of death evident in ransom piracy hostages’ accounts represent the hostage experience as encompassing different states of death, with hostages describing death as a real and ever-present threat that variously encompasses a psychological state of survival, a dehumanizing force, and a disciplinary tactic.

Measurement Methods of Fatigue, Sleepiness, and Sleep Behaviour Aboard Ships: A Systematic Review.

Since seafarers are known to be exposed to numerous job-related stress factors that can cause fatigue, sleepiness, and disturbed sleep behaviour, the aim of this review was to provide an overview of the subjective and objective measurement methods of these strains. Using a systematic review, 166 studies were identified within the period of January 2010 to December 2020 using the PubMed database. Of the 21 studies selected, 13 used both subjective and objective measurement methods. Six studies used only subjective and two studies only objective methods. For subjective assessment, 12 different questionnaires could be identified as well as activity and sleeping logs. Actigraphy and reaction time tests (RTT) were the most common objective methods. In single cases, electrooculography (EOG), pupillometry and ambulatory polysomnography (PSG) were used. Measurement-related limitations due to vessel-related impacts were less often reported than expected. No restrictions of daily routines on board were described, and only single-measurement disturbances due to ship movements were mentioned. The present literature review reveals that there are various routines to measure fatigue, sleepiness, and sleep behaviour on board. A combination of subjective and objective methods often appears to be beneficial. The frequent use of actigraphy and RTT on board suggests good feasibility and reliable measurements with these methods. The use of ambulatory PSG in maritime-like contexts suggests that this method would also be feasible on board.

Introduction Of 3D Printing Into Marine Electrical Engineering Education – A Case Study

The research on 3D printing aboard ships is already under way. The private sector and the navy are both experimenting with its usage. This type of education is however missing in mariner education (e.g. Electrotechnical Officer) and in International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) alike. Various authors have proposed that 3D printing should be included in the STCW standard courses. This paper describes an example of introduction of 3D printing into marine electrical engineering education at the Faculty of Maritime Studies in Split. The class is mandatory for this study. This is performed through “learning by doing” technique.

Upwelling-induced trace gas dynamics in the Baltic Sea inferred from 8 years of autonomous measurements on a ship of opportunity

Abstract. Autonomous measurements aboard ships of opportunity (SOOP) provide in situ data sets with high spatial and temporal coverage. In this study, we use 8 years of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) observations from SOOP Finnmaid to study the influence of upwelling on trace gas dynamics in the Baltic Sea. Between spring and autumn, coastal upwelling transports water masses enriched with CO2 and CH4 to the surface of the Baltic Sea. We study the seasonality, regional distribution, relaxation, and interannual variability in this process. We use reanalysed wind and modelled sea surface temperature (SST) data in a newly established statistical upwelling detection method to identify major upwelling areas and time periods. Large upwelling-induced SST decrease and trace gas concentration increase are most frequently detected around August after a long period of thermal stratification, i.e. limited exchange between surface and underlying waters. We found that these upwelling events with large SST excursions shape local trace gas dynamics and often lead to near-linear relationships between increasing trace gas levels and decreasing temperature. Upwelling relaxation is mainly driven by mixing, modulated by air–sea gas exchange, and possibly primary production. Subsequent warming through air–sea heat exchange has the potential to enhance trace gas saturation. In 2015, quasi-continuous upwelling over several months led to weak summer stratification, which directly impacted the observed trace gas and SST dynamics in several upwelling-prone areas. Trend analysis is still prevented by the observed high variability, uncertainties from data coverage, and long water residence times of 10–30 years. We introduce an extrapolation method based on trace gas–SST relationships that allows us to estimate upwelling-induced trace gas fluxes in upwelling-affected regions. In general, the surface water reverses from CO2 sink to source, and CH4 outgassing is intensified as a consequence of upwelling. We conclude that SOOP data, especially when combined with other data sets, enable flux quantification and process studies addressing the process of upwelling on large spatial and temporal scales.

THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS RELATING TO OCCUPATIONAL ACCIDENTS ABOARD SHIPS

This study analyses the theoretical and practical aspects relating to a special category of occupational accidents, more precisely the occupational accidents aboard ships. The International Labour Organization (I.L.O.), while aware of the importance of this topic, has issued the Maritime Labour Convection (MLC 2006) – ratified by Romania through the Law no. 214/2015 - ensuring the legal framework for maritime personnel by taking into account the special labour conditions thereof. On the internal level, a series of regulations in the Romanian law provide a legal framework in this matter. Among these, we may mention the Guide of March 19, 2018 for the safe management and health protection of seafarers aboard the ships flying the Romanian flag, a document bringing important regulations in this field. In this study we will also present the jurisprudential issues regarding the occupational accidents aboard ships which, together with the theoretical approach, will lead conclusions relating to the relevant regulations in the internal law.

Turning the tide: reducing mortality among Danish merchant seafarers

ObjectivesWhile life at sea traditionally has presented a variety of potential hazards, rigorous measures have been taken in the past decades to ensure the safety and health of all aboard...

Mortality among U.S. military participants at eight aboveground nuclear weapons test series

Background Approximately 235,000 military personnel participated at one of 230 U.S. atmospheric nuclear weapons tests from 1945 through 1962. At the Nevada Test Site (NTS), the atomic veterans participated in military maneuvers, observed nuclear weapons tests, or provided technical support. At the Pacific Proving Ground (PPG), they served aboard ships or were stationed on islands during or after nuclear weapons tests. Material and methods Participants at seven test series, previously studied with high-quality dosimetry and personnel records, and the first test at TRINITY formed the cohort of 114,270 male military participants traced for vital status from 1945 through 2010. Dose reconstructions were based on Nuclear Test Personnel Review records, Department of Defense. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and Cox and Poisson regression models were used in the analysis. Results Most atomic veterans were enlisted men, served in the Navy at the PPG, and were born before 1930. Vital status was determined for 96.8% of the veterans; 60% had died. Enlisted men had significantly high all-causes mortality SMR (1.06); officers had significantly low all-causes mortality SMR (0.71). The pattern of risk over time showed a diminution of the ‘healthy soldier effect’: the all-causes mortality SMR after 50 years of follow-up was 1.00. The healthy soldier effect for all cancers also diminished over time. The all-cancer SMR was significantly high after 50 years (SMR 1.10) primarily from smoking-related cancers, attributed in part to the availability of cigarettes in military rations. The highest SMR was for mesothelioma (SMR 1.56) which was correlated with asbestos exposure in naval ships. Prostate cancer was significantly high (SMR 1.13). Ischemic heart disease was significantly low (SMR 0.84). Estimated mean doses varied by organ were low; e.g., the mean red bone marrow dose was 6 mGy (maximum 108 mGy). Internal cohort dose–response analyses provided no evidence for increasing trends with radiation dose for leukemia (excluding chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)) [ERR (95% CI) per 100 mGy −0.37 (−1.08, 0.33); n = 710], CLL, myelodysplastic syndrome, multiple myeloma, ischemic heart disease, or cancers of the lung, prostate, breast, and brain. Conclusion No statistically significant radiation associations were observed among 114,270 nuclear weapons test participants followed for up to 65 years. The 95% confidence limits were narrow and excluded mortality risks per unit dose that are two to four times higher than those reported in other investigations. Significantly elevated SMRs were seen for mesothelioma and asbestosis, attributed to asbestos exposure aboard ships.

Telemedicine Proof of Concept and Cost Savings During Underway Naval Operations.

Objectives: With military service members stationed around the world aboard ships and remote fixed facilities, subspecialty care frequently occurs outside of the TRICARE network, the health care program of the United States Department of Defense Military Health System, including foreign hospitals. Furthermore, usage aboard U.S. Navy ships has been limited in scope. This has direct costs associated with the medical care rendered and indirect costs such as difficulty navigating medical systems, access to records, and appropriate follow-up. Telemedicine has expanded access to otolaryngologic care where coverage has been deficient, with overall costs that are not well defined. This study aims to demonstrate the ability of consult management aboard a deployed U.S. Navy ship and to determine the direct costs associated with the use of an HIPAA-compliant, store-and-forward telemedicine system available to overseas medical providers to obtain specialty consultation at a tertiary care military treatment facility. Study Design: Retrospective case series. Methods: We reviewed consults submitted through the system from February 2018 to May 2018. Consult management was performed remotely by a deployed otolaryngologist in various locations underway and in port in the Pacific Rim. The direct cost associated with each consult was compared with the cost had the patient been treated in the host nation. Results: During the deployment, there were eight consults submitted and directed to a neurotologist/skull base surgeon for an opinion. The estimated cost for treating these patients overseas was $124,037, while the estimated cost of retaining the patients in the Military Health System was $27,330. Extrapolated to a 12-month period, the cost savings of this program could be over $400,000. Conclusions: Telemedicine consultation has the ability to be initiated and managed remotely-expanding access to subspecialty physicians by service members stationed around the world. Furthermore, it has the potential for substantial cost savings within the military health care system along with intangible benefits that sustain the military health care system downstream.

Passengers' likely behaviour based on demographic difference during an emergency evacuation in a Ro-Ro passenger ship

By examining the characteristics of passengers on a ship route between the Shandong and Liaodong Peninsula, through a questionnaire survey, this paper aims to address the likely behaviours of passengers during emergency evacuation and the demographic differences among these behaviours.A questionnaire survey of 1380 passengers shows that passengers on board are more alert and are more likely to proactively respond to evacuation alarms (62.5%), observe others’ actions (59.1%), follow evacuation instructions (67.9%), obey the crew (66.2%), queue patiently (63%), return to the cabin when their families are left behind (65.1%), and be cooperative (59%) rather than competitive (44%). The multinomial logistic regression results show that passengers who are older, with limited mobility, that have more experience aboard ships and are part of a larger group, will be more likely to proactively confirm the authenticity of evacuation events. Men, elderly individuals, people who are part of a larger group and with less experience in evacuation education are more likely to follow others. When the family is left behind, elderly individuals and people who are part of a larger group are much more likely to choose to return to their cabins. Similarly, elderly passengers with larger groups are much more likely to choose to help others.Although questionnaire research has some limitations, such as a hypothetical response and closed questions, the research results are of great significance for helping passenger ship managers to develop appropriate management rules, and conduct effective evacuation education activities.

Vehicle-Deck Fires Aboard Ropax Ships: A Comparison Between Numerical Modelling and Experimental Results

Abstract According to an official study conducted by the IMO Correspondence Group on Casualty Analysis concerning the fire incidents that occurred on the vehicle-decks of RoPax ships, covering the period from 1994 to 2011, it has been shown that a very serious incident has occurred every other year since 2002, resulting in six constructive total losses. The results of this review shed the light on the need to investigate the application of fire models to simulate fire scenarios that may occur on the vehicle-decks aboard RoPax ships. This will be very useful for the RoPax designers who are willing to introduce new technologies or deviate from the current prescriptive regulations of fire safety design in order to reduce the risk of such catastrophic accidents. The aim of this paper is to present the results of a comparison between the predictions of three different fire models and the experimental results of a model-scale fire test that represents a fire scenario on a vehicle-deck aboard a RoPax ship. A statistical analysis technique was used to illustrate the ability of each fire model to predict five outputs of concern. The main conclusion of this comparison is that there is always an optimal fire model that can predict one or more of the five outputs of concern with results in good agreement with the measured values.

Report of the workshop Evaluating the nature of midwater mining plumes and their potential effects on midwater ecosystems

Report of the workshop Evaluating the nature of midwater mining plumes and their potential effects on midwater ecosystems

Container ships: fire-related risks

ABSTRACT The paper describes a study on fire accidents taking place aboard container ships. In total, 39 confirmed container ship fire accidents were discovered in the period 1996-2017. An epidemiological hazard analysis disclosed four high-consequence hazardous cargos that are calcium hypochlorite, compressed charcoal briquette products, rechargeable batteries and divinylbenzene. Cause-consequence analyses of the fire accidents with the four types of cargos were carried out that explicated all possible scenarios of accident escalation starting from a cause and ending with a consequence. The frequency of experiencing major fires was estimated as well. Further, different solutions to reduce fire detection time were explored and supported by fire simulation modelling with computational fluid dynamic software. Results of the simulation for two different detection solutions are presented.

The Unsociability of Commercial Seafaring: Language Practice and Ideology in Maritime Technocracy

ABSTRACTThis article explores the language practices and language ideologies of maritime technocracy and inquires into the imagined and real gaps involved in sustaining channels of sociable talk aboard cargo ships. Lacking knowledge of the routines, practices, and beliefs impacting seafarers’ productivity, shipping industry leaders turn to Christian ministries to identify infrastructural or logistical gaps in the operation of communications media networks and deficiencies in the language policies and interactional practices that animate them. These converging profit‐driven and ethical projects collectively support a technocratic language ideology. It locates risks to the supply chain in presumptions of miscommunications caused by the lack of English‐language use and unsociability caused by the lack of convivial talk among seafarers for channeling information about these risks. Actualized by strategies that affirm the value of face‐to‐face talk and online chatting rather than solitary reading, maritime technocracy standardizes the logistical coordination of media infrastructures and labor and language policies. This article draws on ethnographic research aboard cargo ships and at Christian centers to elucidate the logic of maritime technocracies in Newark and Montreal, two seaports with different governance structures highlighting the internal differences of a shipping industry facing crises due to automation, outsourcing, and neoliberal reform. [commercial seafaring, shipping industry, sociability, maritime technology, language ideology]

Prevention of microbial species introductions to the Arctic: The efficacy of footwear disinfection measures on cruise ships

Biosecurity measures are commonly used to prevent the introduction of non-native species to natural environments globally, yet the efficacy of practices is rarely tested under operational conditions. A voluntary biosecurity measure was trialled in the Norwegian high Arctic following concern that non-native species might be transferred to the region on the footwear of travellers. Passengers aboard an expedition cruise ship disinfected their footwear with the broad spectrum disinfectant Virkon S prior to and in-between landing at sites around the remote Svalbard archipelago. The authors evaluated the efficacy of simply stepping through a disinfectant foot bath, which is the most common practice of footwear disinfection aboard expedition cruise ships in the Arctic. This was compared to a more time consuming and little-used method involving drying disinfected footwear, as proposed by other studies. The two practices were evaluated by measuring microbial growth on paired footwear samples before and after disinfection under both conditions. Step-through disinfection did not substantially reduce microbial growth on the footwear. Allowing disinfected footwear to dry, however, reduced the microbial burden significantly to lower levels. Thus, the currently adopted procedures used aboard ships are ineffective at removing microbial burden and are only effective when footwear is given more time to dry than currently granted under operational conditions. These findings underscore results from empirical research performed elsewhere and suggest the need to better relay this information to practitioners. It is suggested that footwear should minimally be wiped dry after step-through disinfection as a reasonable compromise between biosecurity and practicability.