Intra-connected bridge and engine simulators and their use in training - Training onboard work communication and cooperation between maritime officers

Abstract: The major cause for accidents within the maritime industry is human error. Therefore, maritime training has been focused on solving this problem over the last two decades. The training that deals with human factors is labeled resource management and has greatly improved the safety at sea. Simulators have also been a key tool in the training of technical and non-technical skills. But there is one part of the human factors that has mostly been left unexplored: the relation between the engine room and the bridge and the influence it has on the safety of operations. Through interviews with people who are involved in the training of mariners and a survey that investigate how active seafarers appreciate the teamwork and cooperation onboard, this study has attempted to show if intra-connected simulators can be an effective tool for improving the teamwork onboard the vessels.The survey concluded that the active officers are positive toward a more teamwork oriented course, because the general perception is that the teamwork and communication between the departments is worse than within the departments. For the interviews, topics such as previous courses where cross-department training had been used, the influence of MRM on mariners and the attitude toward using simulators in training were discussed. The resulting conclusions were that the cross-department simulator training is something that would be appreciated by sailors and instructors alike, but only if the training is done with a crew that works together on the same vessel. Cross-department training would also be beneficial for improving the cooperation, communication and teamwork through the setting in connected simulators that would make working as a team a necessity.