Take, for instance, the functions of the GMDSS, which are
1 Distress alert
(ship to shore, shore to ship, ship to ship)
2 SAR co-ordination
3 On-scene communications
4 Locating signals
5 Maritime Safety Information (MSI)
6 General radio communications
7 Bridge-to-bridge communications.
One may easily realize that at least functions 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 will
only be available to the user, i.e. the ships' officer, if s/he has a relatively good
command of maritime English at hand. Recalling, that from Febr. 1, 1999, all vessels of
300 gross tons and more will have to take part in the GMDSS the question should be
permitted whether ships' staffs will be duly qualified by that time for this system, the
operation of which definitely requires a bit more than just "pressing buttons".
At present eight out of ten candidates who failed the GOC examinations did so for they
were not in a position to draft distress, urgency and safety messages or to respond to
those priority calls, let alone the more complex conversations in case of an emergency.
Or, imagine one of these pitiable underqualified officers of the watch sailing in a high
density VTS-area and being asked different questions or given important advice or even
instructions from shore - s/he must feel like driving a car in a big town during the rush
hours without knowing the traffic signs.
Furthermore, vessels with a crew of, say, 22 where 15 or even more
different languages are spoken will be the rule rather than the exception in the near
future. In circumstances like these maritime English again is the medium which the safety
of the crew, the vessel and the individual sailor will depend upon. who, for example, will
be blamed for an accident of a vessel in the navigating bridge of which pilotage
conversation was not possible because maritime English knowledge was totally lacking among
the bridge staff. Also ships' engineers whose training in maritime English was badly
neglected in many countries in the past will face increased language requirements which
they often fail to meet at present. Some companies started to sack officers and engineers
whose maritime English skills turned out not to be sufficient, some others send their
staff to qualification courses at company's costs what surely is the better solution in
the long run
IMO is well aware of the situation given and considered in lengthy
discussions ways of how to
