Most of the time the captain and pilot are typically the only ones in the wheelhouse.
According to the report, he was alone and the captain was sleeping. Why not have a mate or AB in the wheelhouse to ease the workload?
The companies are cheap cheap cheap.
Very few tugs have ABs standing watch in the wheelhouse. They are cleaning, painting, checking the engine room, cooking, etc.
I occasionally go to tugs that do not have an ECS or plotter. That’s why I have to carry two of my own. Older AIS units, still a lot of the out there, have no practical provisions for me to connect my equipment to AIS feed.
Most Tugs use the cheapest version of Rosepoint. Some have Nobeltec Time Zero, some have both.
A great many tugs only have one computer, for email. Paperwork and navigation. If you are navigating with the ECS, you cannot do paperwork. If you are doing paperwork, you are not using ECS.
Some tugs have ECS with multiple screens in different locations, chart table, port side steering station, starboard side steering, and aft controls. You often cannot use two screens at the same time. Some tugs you have to carry the mouse from one place to another. Most tugs, you cannot choose different scales on different monitors.
Apparently, companies cannot afford to buy two or three $700 computers or more than one $150 monitor or two $27 mouses. It’s absurd.
Too much “safety” focus on bullshit paperwork that is often pencilwhipped and everyone knows it. Not enough focus on forcing the companies to properly equip and crew the boats. That costs money.
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I would use my laptop with Open CPN but it’s never been worth it to me to lay down the expense of the AIS hookup equipment. If I ever find myself in a steady job without an ECS again I’ll probably shell out the money.
If you’re steering by hand with three or four tillers it’s very hard to fuck with stuff like zooming the ECS.
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Absolutely. That’s why an extra body in the wheelhouse might have kept them off the rocks.
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Excellent point. Most inland tugs do nothave autopilot. The watch officeris aloneand too busy steering to properly navigate.