Building bridges for best practice
Bridge Resource Management (BRM) can be a vessel’s greatest strength or its weakest point, depending on how effective it is. We investigate best practice, both ashore and onboard, and take a look at the future, and the welcome arrival of ECDIS
Effective BRM helps a bridge team anticipate and respond correctly to their vessel’s changing situation. Successful management and utilisation of all available resources, human and technical, ensures the safe completion of the voyage. By contrast, poor Bridge Resource Management can lead to loss of situational awareness. Common errors include:
- Preoccupation with minor technical problems
- Inadequate monitoring
- Failure to delegate tasks and assign responsibilities
- Failure to recognise and handle minor deficiencies in skills
- Failure to utilise available data
- Failure to set priorities
- Failure to detect deviations from Standard Operating procedures
- Failure to communicate intent and plans
- Inadequate challenge and response skills.
Successful BRM focuses on team building, responsible challenge and response, closed loop communication, leadership and decision-making skills to help avoid these errors. Together, these allow effective management of operational risks and the human machine interface [see page 10]. In addition, BRM should take into account organisational, operational and regulatory factors, as well as the capability and limitations of the navigational equipment available.
Shore-based BRM training aims to help navigators spot the common errors mentioned above and avoid them. The course concentrates on interpersonal relationships, and encourages participants to reflect on their own interpersonal skills in a bridge team environment through a series of case studies. Over the length of the course, it should bring about a change in behaviour and attitude, which course participants will be able to take back with them onboard.
Best practice onboard
BRM starts with receiving voyage instructions and identifying the resources that will be necessary for the journey. The passage plan follows, which is then implemented through to the end of the voyage, before the passage debrief concludes the entire process. The right kind of management will allow sufficient leeway for the inevitable variations from the passage plan, should unexpected situations develop.
The ship’s Master forms an integral part of the bridge team, but also has a larger role to play as a facilitator. Masters must build confidence in their team and show that, although they are team players, final decisions rest with them when they have the con of the ship. They must instil the concept of ‘responsible challenge and response’ and develop good team communications. In effect, Masters must take on a similar role at sea as the facilitator does in shore-based training, to mould the bridge team and become part of it.
Some of the most important aspects of BRM are:
Passage planning – covering ocean, coastal and pilotage waters, planning berth to berth. Particular attention should be paid to high traffic areas, shallow water and pilotage waters. The plan should incorporate margins of safety and contingency plans for unexpected incidents.
Passage plan briefing – all bridge team members, including the Chief Engineer, should be briefed on the passage plan to ensure that they understand the intended route and transit procedures.
Bridge manning – the Master should use the passage plan to anticipate areas of high workload and/or risk and set manning levels appropriately.
Bridge team training (ashore and onthe- job) – given to all bridge team members to ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities, both for routine duties and in the event of an incident/emergency.
Master’s standing orders – read and signed before the voyage begins. These orders must be clear on the chain of command, how decisions and instructions are given and responded to on the bridge and how bridge team members can bring safety concerns to the attention of the Master.
Master/pilot exchange – the passage plan is discussed by the Master and the pilot and necessary changes are made. Any new information must be communicated to the rest of the bridge team. When the pilot is onboard, he/she automatically fits into the bridge team.
End of voyage debriefing – allows the bridge team to review the passage plan’s strengths and weaknesses, suggest improvements to safety, communications and problem-solving skills. Lessons learnt will help the team tighten up subsequent voyage planning.
Communication issues
Good communication between the members of the bridge team is the key to successful BRM. Some features of good communication include:
Closed-loop communication – when repeating orders to ensure that they are well understood, always assess the order to make sure that it makes sense, and then observe to reassure yourself that it is completed. A common mistake is to say ‘right’ or ‘left’ and mean the opposite.
Who has the con? – the officer of the watch has the con, regardless of whether the Master is on the bridge. Should the Master want the con, he should clearly state that he is taking it, and the officer of the watch should repeat that, giving the Master the con. This sounds very basic, but is a key communication issue.
Challenge and response – be ready to accept and consider reasonable challenges from other members of the bridge team. Equally, be alert to what is going on, and be prepared to speak up if you spot an error.
The arrival of ECDIS
The advent of ECDIS has enabled BRM to move to the next level for efficient navigation. The navigational principles remain the same; however the navigator now has decision support tools for berthto- berth navigation. ECDIS helps optimise routes, reduces fuel consumption and greatly enhances decision making and analyses of the developing situation.
On-shore BRM training should therefore include ECDIS as the primary means of navigation. Incorporating error in sensors inputs, especially GNSS, will train navigators to sharpen up their decision making and prepare them for emergencies. Bridge watch-keeping practices using ECDIS should be regularly reviewed.
Even ECDIS is subject to human error. The most advanced ECDIS is only as good as its user! Masters, navigators and pilots must recognise the potential for such error and always remain vigilant. When mistakes happen, the bridge team must respond in a timely manner to create a “failsafe” system. This is, in a true sense, the way forward in understanding and enjoying human-ECDIS co-operation, and promoting safety at sea and on the bridge.
Author: Captain Srirang Manjeshwar,
Director, Training, Wallem Maritime Training Centre, Mumbai, India