The international focus on safety and pollution prevention is becoming
sharper. The authorities, insurance companies, classification societies and charterers are
making ever more stringent demands towards the marine transportation industry.
The structural changes taking place in the shipping industry may have
consequences for safety standards, Ageing vessels, multicultural crews, splitting of
management functions, and a possible forthcoming shortage of qualified seamen will all
have important consequences for this industry.
The market requires safe, efficient, high quality transport, and the
demands are expected to increase in the future.
Major challenges
The latest innovations in computer technology and use of satellite
communication systems gives us the opportunity to improve vessel operation and
maintenance.
One of the major challenges in the near future is to integrate the
resources and competence onboard, in the shipowner's office and in the supporting
industries to improve the operation and maintenance of the ship, and meet demands for safe
operation and pollution prevention.
Reduction of onboard manning, differences in skills and experience have
to be compensated by organization means, use of technology and by efficient use of the
potentials of suppliers expertise and support.
Focus on standards of competence, with a functional approach and more
specific requirements related to the worktask, needs to be met with methods for evaluation
and testing of the seamen competence.
As a part of quality control principles, plans for training of
personnel and efficient training systems available also for onboard use have to be
developed.
Requirements, for cost reduction on one hand, an increase of ship and
equipment availability on the other, requires use of improved and new methods for decision
of maintenance strategies, improved maintenance planning and operation of the vessel.
There will be a substantial need for documentation of the ship'
performance, equipment quality and availability in the near future. This means that we
have to define acceptance criterias for machinery, equipment and hull structure. This is
to be used by the authorities, classification societies and ship-owners to be able to
assess specific values to these acceptance criterias.
An important aspect for improving safety is to deal with emergency
situations efficiently. Systems and information availability, simplicity, and crew
competence and skills are important in such cases.
To improve use of information from different sources, which can be
integrated for use in the operation phase, like drawings, specifications, manuals and
procedures, we have to go a step further in specifying these needs in the specification
and building phase.
