From this thread:
about 30% of the merchant mariners evaluated at MITAGS using the NSAP model were unable to properly tune the radar, did not make proper use of ECDIS and over relied upon ECDIS while neglecting RADAR and visual.
That tracks with my experience, most junior, academy-trained deck officers tend to neglect visual observations which, when combined with instruments, can greatly reduce workload.
I believe that. Its not fool proof but maybe its a step to weed out the complete incompetent? I dont know as I was an engineer. It was amazing a few years ago when I sailed how several Captain’s were constantly complaining about the junior officers complete reliance on ECDIS and situational awareness was a foreign concept. Scary to be honest.
to be fair, young engineers were also exhibiting a lack of awareness or care at the end of my career. Ships keep sailing so I guess something is working. Maybe the senior level officers are just doing more.
Ships can sail easy, or they can sail hard. In the end however, they will eventually sail.
This is a union which, in my many years, has seldom refused anyone a book/membership or gone out of its way to remove incompetent officers. I see totally incompetent officers all too often and they easily advance to senior membership. No one is really “denied” a union book. The NSAP is but a tiny bump in the road for them.
The NSAP fail rates have gotten lower and lower with each round and I do not suspect that it’s due to a sudden spike in competence.
