Issue a near-miss report or non-conformance report is not a “fight”, it’s a standard and expected practice, especially in the tanker industry. During every vetting, inspectors pay close attention to a vessel’s incident reporting policy. A lack of reports does not indicate a safer operation. Maybe under the new SIRE2 regime, this has shifted slightly, but in my opinion, not for the better.
As for the number of SCBA units, I understand your concerns, but remember that mandatory emergency/rescue equipment always results from some compromises. Frankly, on a tanker, you already have more compared to the standard equipment on a dry cargo vessel.
However, I’d like to return to another issue. I haven’t had the chance to listen to the latest update from the vlogger Dr. Sal, linked by our colleague @Spowiednik, but another colleague pointed out that our “expert” is still spouting nonsense. Honestly, I don’t know what to think. I understand that everyone can make mistakes, in fact, in everyday conversations, we often take shortcuts and use terms that aren’t entirely accurate. But in this case, there’s no room for mental shortcuts or simple slips of the tongue. He genuinely doesn’t understand the difference between Heading, Course, and Track Mode. And aside from the fact that he has become a sort of influencer shaping public opinion, the matter is quite serious in another aspect.
Considering the recent discussions about bringing back navigators who have suspended their licenses or even making it easier for those who failed to meet purely theoretical procedures and have already lost their licenses. I must remind you that our friend Sal has been, and likely still is, a vocal advocate for such facilitations.
And let me be clear, I don’t want to make it harder for anyone to return to the profession. But given the lack of proper knowledge and the unbelievable lack of self-criticism among those who think modern shipping is the same as it was decades ago, I wonder if this is just an isolated problem or if it could lead to a systemic issue.
Let me remind you of the incident involving the New Zealand ferry Aratere. I don’t know the exact cause of the grounding, whether it was a bridge team member’s unfamiliarity with the new equipment or most probable a lack of basic knowledge in eNAV and the difference between Course Mode and Track Mode.
I don’t want to offend anyone, and I realize that holding a license doesn’t automatically qualify someone for a specific position. But I wouldn’t want to encounter a saefarer who regained their license through USCG authorization without properly updating their knowledge.
The two of us plus Dr.Bugge and we can compete with the age of piramid of Cheops.
