Post by cascade on Aug 30, 2005 8:26:19 GMT -8
I wonder as shipping is moving very fast ahead and the new rules and licensing systems don't seem to keep up. What would the view be of Harbourlynx with these new ideas concepts of licensing / rating the bridge crew the same as they do in the airline business?
Here is a comment - which has opened up the subject:
Thursday, July 28, 2005
MAIB Calls for New High-Speed Rules
From Lloyd’s List (www.lloydslist.com) Britain urgently needs to revise controls on high-speed craft, the head of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has urged. Such vessels “have more in common with operating aircraft than ships” and this should be reflected in the rule book, argues chief inspector Stephen Meyer. Mr. Meyer’s comments are contained in a document entitled Recommendations Annual Report 2004, published by the MAIB on Tuesday. He points out that operators of high-speed craft sit in a cockpit surrounded by a bank of monitors and equipment. Yet requirements in areas such as bridge layout differ little from those governing conventional craft. “For example, in a digital age, it is absurd that for navigation such craft need only have paper charts at the back of the bridge,” Mr Meyer writes. “Accidents over the last ten years, including one with 16 fatalities, have clearly demonstrated the need for change.” But high-speed craft operators themselves maintain standards are already high, witnessed by the millions of passengers safely carried. Sea Containers operates two fast craft from Dover to Calais under the Hoverspeed brand, and over a dozen elsewhere in the world. David Stocks, Sea Containers’ general manager of operations for ferries, said that many aspects of current rules are already modelled on the aviation industry. In particular, he pointed to the “type rating” of officers, who need specific qualifications to operate high-speed craft. Elsewhere in the report, Mr Meyer reaffirms MAIB’s preference for self-regulation in shipping, despite its seemingly contradictory decision to enact new rules early this year. Where safety issues arise, the MAIB looks to the industry to take appropriate action. Only where this approach fails does the organisation advocate regulation. However, a new set of rules — the Merchant Shipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 2005 — came into legal force in April.
Here is a comment - which has opened up the subject:
Thursday, July 28, 2005
MAIB Calls for New High-Speed Rules
From Lloyd’s List (www.lloydslist.com) Britain urgently needs to revise controls on high-speed craft, the head of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has urged. Such vessels “have more in common with operating aircraft than ships” and this should be reflected in the rule book, argues chief inspector Stephen Meyer. Mr. Meyer’s comments are contained in a document entitled Recommendations Annual Report 2004, published by the MAIB on Tuesday. He points out that operators of high-speed craft sit in a cockpit surrounded by a bank of monitors and equipment. Yet requirements in areas such as bridge layout differ little from those governing conventional craft. “For example, in a digital age, it is absurd that for navigation such craft need only have paper charts at the back of the bridge,” Mr Meyer writes. “Accidents over the last ten years, including one with 16 fatalities, have clearly demonstrated the need for change.” But high-speed craft operators themselves maintain standards are already high, witnessed by the millions of passengers safely carried. Sea Containers operates two fast craft from Dover to Calais under the Hoverspeed brand, and over a dozen elsewhere in the world. David Stocks, Sea Containers’ general manager of operations for ferries, said that many aspects of current rules are already modelled on the aviation industry. In particular, he pointed to the “type rating” of officers, who need specific qualifications to operate high-speed craft. Elsewhere in the report, Mr Meyer reaffirms MAIB’s preference for self-regulation in shipping, despite its seemingly contradictory decision to enact new rules early this year. Where safety issues arise, the MAIB looks to the industry to take appropriate action. Only where this approach fails does the organisation advocate regulation. However, a new set of rules — the Merchant Shipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 2005 — came into legal force in April.
