From incidents like the above mentioned, it can be concluded that communication and
coordination in a bridge team is very important. Every member of the team has to know his
tasks and responsibilities within the procedures for the various situations. Due to all kinds
of reasons procedures are not always executed as they should.
Training of bridge teams in the execution of the procedures can help to reduce the risks
of loss of equipment, cargo (environmental dangers) and of course people.
Nowadays, more demands are made upon the flexibility, skills and knowledge of the
bridge crews and pilots. Some of the reasons are:
- the tendency to reduce the size of the bridge crews;
- the increasing number of tasks on the bridge (apart from navigation and communication
also engine room monitoring and cargo handling) ;
the decrease of operational time on board (less practice) ;
- the increasing emphasis on safety in relation to risk of environmental pollution;
-the fact that about 80% of the accidents at sea are due to human error;
- the increasing use of high technology equipment/automation on the bridge;
- the increasing need of flexibility of ship crews and pilots in view of different levels and/
or standards of automation and different types of equipment;
- the differences in procedures for different types of ships;
-the increasing number of ‘mixed’ bridge crews with respect to culture and level of
education.
To attain optimal functioning of the bridge crews and pilots, simulation of various situations
significantly contributes to the improvement of performance. However, in the field of full
mission bridge simulators, the structured development of training is way behind the technical
developments in that area. Therefore a structured approach to the development of training
programs for the shipping industry and education is needed.