The problems of preventing ship collisions in the Far Eastern basin are largely determined by the characteristics of the basin.
In hydrometeorological terms, the defining feature of the Far Eastern basin is the long period of limited visibility. Fogs in the basin begin in April and last almost continuously until mid-August, covering the waters of the Sea of Japan, Okhotsk and Bering Seas, the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean and the eastern sector of the Arctic. In autumn and winter, visibility is significantly reduced by snow accumulations, especially characteristic of the Sea of Okhotsk.
In terms of navigation, the opening of the sea and the wide straits of the basin allow ships to disperse in advance and at a sufficiently large distance. At the same time, in the Inland Sea of Japan and Japan's coastal waters, where traffic volumes are extremely high, a high degree of collision risk is created. One of the features is also a large concentration of fishing vessels in sections of the main sea routes: in the areas of the Sangarsky, Tsushima, La Perouse straits, the entire coast of Japan and in certain sections of the existing recommended routes. A special issue is the prevention of collisions and pile-ups when sailing in caravans behind an icebreaker.
In order to prevent ship collisions, the Far Eastern Shipping Company developed and implemented organizational and technical measures that required serious scientific study and significant costs for the technical equipment of the fleet and onshore facilities.
Back in 1957, the maritime service developed and introduced the so-called “Recommended Courses” in the basin, which were actually the first system for separating vessel traffic at sea and on the approaches to ports. “Recommended Courses” played a significant role in preventing ship collisions. They were approved by all shipping enterprises in the basin and were observed by ships of all shipping companies and departments.
The current system for separating vessel traffic in the Far Eastern basin was introduced in 1972. Developed by DVVIMU according to technical specifications and with the participation of the maritime safety service, it fully complies with the principles of IMCO and is approved by this organization. Unlike other systems in the world, it is very extensive, covering the waters of the Japanese, Okhotsk, Bering Seas and parts of the Pacific Ocean. It consists of separate systems for separating traffic in the straits and on the approaches to ports, connected to each other by recommended routes. The system is announced in Notices to Mariners and is mandatory for compliance by ships of all departments and states in accordance with Rule 10 of COLREG-72.
One of the essential elements of vessel traffic separation is control. Such control in the separation system implemented by the shipping company is carried out in some areas by the relevant control bodies, and in others - by observation from ships. Noticed violations are immediately reported to shipowners by telegraph, indicating specific data confirming the violation.
In Japanese waters, compliance with navigation rules is monitored by the Maritime Safety Agency; in particular, in Tokyo Bay, violations are recorded using a coastal radar system.
In order to prevent ship collisions, traffic regulation has been organized in the ports of Vladivostok and Nakhodka.
The largest and most modern automated vessel traffic control system was created in Nakhodka Bay, in the bays of which there are four ports.
The system consists of three stations, two of which operate without maintenance personnel. The main station controls them and receives radar information via radio relay lines. At the main station, information from three radars is processed by a specialized computer capable of tracking 200 targets. Data is presented on radar screens in the form of special characters, vectors, video maps and other elements. At the same time, the text display provides text and numerical information in different colors depending on the degree of danger.
The system signals dangerous approach of vessels, their exit from the fairway, approaching a dangerous area, drift of vessels or buoys, calculates the time and distance of the shortest approach, mutual bearing between vessels, deviation from the axis of the fairway, distance to fixed points and other data.
Remote displays allow subscribers (for example, port captains, operational equipment) to receive graphic and text information directly from the system’s computer. It is planned to develop radar systems in other ports of the Far Eastern basin.
In order to prevent ship collisions, measures were taken to organize a watch on the navigation bridge. The shipping safety service of the shipping company, together with the Far Eastern branch of TsNIIMF, has developed and sent to ships a standard scheme for organizing the ship control service in special navigation conditions, which can be changed in relation to the characteristics of a particular ship. Methodological instructions on a system for monitoring the navigation process have been developed and distributed to vessels.
An analysis of the accident rate of Far Eastern Shipping Company vessels over the past 10 years shows that out of 14 collisions that took place, 10 occurred in conditions of good visibility and only 4 in limited visibility. From this it was concluded that it was necessary to improve the organization of watch service on the bridge and the personal discipline of navigators. A technical specification was also drawn up for the creation of a simulator for the visual divergence of ships. The radar simulator was introduced into the practice of training navigators in 1970, which, as analysis shows, gave a positive effect. Currently, most ships have two radars installed. However, about 25% of them have worked for more than 10 years and require replacement.
An extremely important part of solving the problem of collision prevention is the personnel issue. Studies conducted both in our country and abroad show that 72-75% of all accidents occur through the fault of ship personnel, mainly navigators. It is quite obvious that it is impossible to explain this phenomenon solely by the skippers’ failure to comply with rules, instructions, regulations and other normative documents, i.e., by a subjective factor. In an accident, as if in focus, many objective factors converge and are expressed, having an obvious or hidden causal connection with it. They are perceived as subjective because, as a rule, in the face of an accident there is only one navigator.
Navigation conditions are becoming more complicated due to an increase in traffic intensity, speeds and sizes of ships, and the requirements for navigators are also progressively increasing. We believe that the factors most significant for preventing ship collisions are the following: the level of professional training and personal qualities of navigators, the technical equipment of ships and socio-psychological factors.
The professional training of navigators consists of basic education in MMF educational institutions, a system of technical and command training on ships and in the Shipping Company Department, advanced training courses at educational institutions every five years, simulator training at shipping companies, preparation and passing of the technical minimum.
At present, the problem of staffing with special education in the shipping company has been largely solved.
Of all the types of professional development, simulator training has received especially great development in the shipping industry. This is explained primarily by the fact that there is a gap between the knowledge imparted by traditional teaching methods in MMF educational institutions and the ability to apply it on a ship, which is growing every year. The Far Eastern Shipping Company has a training center consisting of two divisions, each of which performs its own specific tasks.
At the Solartron radar simulator, navigators undergo a full ten-day training program on the use of radar to prevent ship collisions. Upon completion of the program, they receive international certificates. Repeated training is also carried out there, mainly during training in advanced training courses for command personnel, according to a six-day program with a mark for repetition of training. The frequency of repeated training is 5 years. The same simulator is used for annual training of hydrofoil navigators of the Vladivostok Port Fleet. The training is carried out according to a specially developed program that takes into account the sailing conditions on the SSC (speed, technical equipment, composition and functional distribution of duties of the watch service, maneuverability, etc.). Navigators of the passenger port fleet, pilots, and port inspection workers also train here. Their training is also carried out according to a specially developed program that takes into account the characteristic features of their work.
It should be emphasized that the training program for each group of navigators includes taking the COLREG-72 exam as the main regulatory document for preventing ship collisions. Particular attention is paid to the knowledge and practical application of the Rules governing navigation in clear and limited visibility (paragraphs 5, 6, 7, 8, 19), as well as Rule 10, governing navigation in traffic separation systems.
At the radar simulator of the Far Eastern Shipping Company, a group of scientists from the Far Eastern State University (department of psychology and pedagogy) and employees of the shipping company's maritime safety service are working on a professional and psychophysiological assessment of the qualities of navigators. This work arose because experts came to the conclusion that a certain proportion of accidents do not occur from a lack of knowledge or experience, but are psychological in nature. It is violations of ordinary, well-known rules and regulations, ship control techniques, and neglect of basic caution that predetermine the creation of dangerous situations and lead to accidents. This is especially evident in difficult situations. People do not pose a threat to the ship, or they realize it too late, they do not perceive the changing situation, they scatter their attention to the secondary, they cannot make timely decisions necessary for safe departure, and they lose the ability to objectively assess and control the situation. The characteristic basis of the profession of a navigator is associated with night shifts, physical inactivity, sudden changes in climatic zones and zones, requiring restructuring and adaptation of the body, an abundance of stressful situations, etc. In addition to good special knowledge and experience, a navigator must also have certain psychophysiological qualities.
The certification and training complex of the Far Eastern Shipping Company with a set of necessary literature, teaching aids, posters, diagrams, navigation aids and nautical instruments consists of rooms for preparing and passing the technical minimum by navigators. The complex is equipped with a Japanese-made radar simulator, coupled with a light simulator for practicing the tasks of avoiding collisions of ships in clear visibility, a tablet simulator for practicing the tasks of maneuvering in narrow spaces, and a model of a ship with a set of lights in accordance with COLREG-72.
As many years of practice have shown, such technical equipment significantly increases the efficiency of solving problems and allows them to be completed in a shorter time and with better quality. The certification and training complex solves the following problems: creating the most optimal conditions for preparing and conducting certification of command personnel, which is, as is known, an effective means of improving the skills of navigators; annual two-day training for navigators of passenger ships, held at the beginning of foggy weather (in April-May), repeated training of navigators when training them at advanced training courses for command staff with a frequency of 5 pets, one-time one- or two-day training, mainly in winter, for navigators of ships under repair, lay-up, and navigators in reserve.
In addition, the complex holds one-day seminars on the safe transportation of goods with a small specific loading volume once every two weeks.
During the operation of the complex from March 1970 to the present, more than 3.5 thousand navigators of the Far Eastern Shipping Company and other departments have undergone training with the issuance of certificates.
On average, about 250 people undergo repeated training at the complex every year, about 200 people undergo two-day training, about 190 people are tested according to the technical minimum, and about 500 people pass exams according to COLREG-72.
Increasingly complex navigation conditions urgently require the development of new types of radars or attachments to existing ones, interfaced with a computer and eliminating manual processing of radar information.
In connection with the sharp increase in the “human factor” in the problem of accidents, it is necessary, in our opinion, to expand scientific research in this area. We believe that the Research Institute of Water Transport Hygiene should have its say in this matter.
The problem of collision prevention is complex, multifaceted, but with systematic, targeted work it can be largely solved.
A. Kashura, Deputy Head of the Far Eastern Shipping Company
"Marine" No. 1 1982
Soviet Shipping Journal
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