Although used in a slightly different context, a phrase from some British propaganda during WWII
neatly sums up the dangers of ineffective communications: ‘Careless talk costs lives’. That may be
over-dramatic in most cases where communications between seafarers or between ship and shore go
awry but it does illustrate the importance of effective communications and the real dangers if they go
badly wrong.
IMO analyses reports of casualties and accidents to see if there are any lessons to be learned for the
future. Many accidents are found to be due mainly to operational issues of proper procedure,
maintenance and design, rather than to proper implementation of regulations but effectiveness of
bridge resource management and particularly ineffective relationships between master, crew and pilot
are recurrent themes. Communication difficulties often occur in these areas due in part to cultural
differences but also due to language ‘barriers’. Some examples from recent analyses illustrate the