[QUOTE=Steamer;68088]The cruise director? When STCW and the IMO refer to a master I don’t think they mean a master of ceremonies. WTF is a glorified concierge going to contribute to the bridge team when maneuvering?[/QUOTE]
This geezer is useful for screaming in alarm, thus distracting the Captain at a critical moment.
This is what is claimed to have happened aboard Costa Concordia. Allegedly, part of the reason for taking the ship close to Le Scole Reef was because the CC’s Maitre d’hotel had been invited up to the bridge in order to watch the sail-by. He lives in a house on the hill above Le Scole. He has lived on Isola del Giglio all his life etc. He is said to have screamed a warning that the ship was too close to Le Scole. His scream distracted the Captain and prevented him from turning the ship to starboard as he had been planning do do before he was distracted. Delaying the turn by that vital few seconds is said to have caused the disaster.
The people in charge of producing the document seem to have concluded that someone slightly more senior than the Maitre d’hotel should be on the bridge in order to do the screaming, that’s all.