Seaways Free Article: Where safety meets seamanship
A shipboard management perspective on HSEQ and assurance
by Capt James Foong MBA FNI
On paper, shipping companies today have strong HSEQ systems. We have ISM, ISO standards, manuals, procedures, checklists, and many reports to complete. On board a ship, real life is different. Operations are affected by weather, port pressure, commercial demands, crew fatigue, and human behaviour. In reality, safety is not decided in the office, but by the shipboard management team at sea.
From a mariner’s perspective, the four key persons on board – the Master, Chief Engineer, Chief Officer, and Second Engineer – are the backbone of shipboard safety and assurance. These four translate company policies into daily practice. When this link is weak, HSEQ becomes nothing more than paperwork. When it is strong, safety becomes part of normal seamanship.
One common challenge onboard is behavioural drift. This does not happen because crew are careless. It usually develops slowly when experienced seafarers adapt to pressure and time constraints. Shortcuts become acceptable, permits turn routine, and risk assessments are copied without proper thinking. Over time, unsafe practices become ‘normal’. Preventing this drift is a leadership responsibility, not just a compliance issue.
A personal shipboard experience
During a busy container port stay, cargo operations were under heavy time pressure. All permits and risk assessments were completed, but mostly as a matter of routine. While making rounds on deck, I noticed lashers working directly under a suspended load. No one questioned it because this was how the job was always done.
Instead of stopping the job aggressively, I called the duty officer to the site. We paused the operation and spoke directly with the crew. I asked simple questions: what is the risk, and what happens if the gear fails? The crew quickly understood. We adjusted the working position and set a clear exclusion zone.
That evening, the ‘four key persons’ discussed the incident together. We agreed the issue was not crew negligence, but lack of visible leadership during critical work. From then on, we ensured senior officers were notified and present during high-risk operations. Near-miss reporting increased, and communication improved. This change came not from new procedures, but from leadership and teamwork.
Leadership, teamwork and assurance
Effective HSEQ onboard is not about punishment or paperwork. It is about presence, communication, and consistency. When the Master and Chief Engineer speak openly about risks, and when the Chief Officer and Second Engineer lead operations on site, crews feel supported and confident to speak up.
Strong teamwork among the ‘four key persons’ prevents silo thinking between deck and engine departments. Joint discussions, shared decisions, and consistent safety messages build trust.
From an audit point of view, good ships are not perfect ships – they are ships where officers and crew understand risks, explain procedures clearly, and show ownership of safety.
Modern seamanship today is more than technical skill. It includes leadership, judgement, and understanding human limits. When the four key persons lead by example, HSEQ becomes part of everyday seamanship – not a company demand, but a professional standard at sea.
Capt James Foong is a Malaysian seafarer currently sailing on global container trades. He works as an independent HSEQ & ISO auditor and also conducts navigational assessments and vessel condition surveys.