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1
Introduction
Thirty years ago, U.S.-flag commercial vessels typically went to sea with
crews of more than 40 persons. Today, much larger U.S.-flag vessels depart
on foreign voyages with crews of about 20. Many modern foreign vessels
sail with crews in the middle to low teens. These reductions in manning
levels reflect more than a century of gradual technical and organizational
change. Sail gave way to steam, and steam has largely given way to diesel
propulsion. Ship designers and builders have automated and mechanized
many shipboard systems, adopted more durable coatings and paints, shifted
some maintenance and cargo-handling duties to shore-based personnel, and
made other transitions toward more efficient manning.
In the United States, these innovations have involved the Coast Guard
directly in setting manning levels in the past two decades. In the past
each vessel's Coast Guard-issued Certificate of Inspection (COI) specified
the minimum deck, engine, and radio complements necessary for safe
navigation. In practice, ships typically carried up to twice the minimum
required crew members, through collective bargaining between companies
and their unions. With the advent of diesel propulsion, automation, and
other labor-saving measures in the late 1960s, labor-management contracts
began to settle on the COI requirements as minimum manning scales. Thus,
Coast Guard manning decisions are taking on ever greater significance.
These changes are far from having run their course. Ship technology
is developing at an accelerating pace throughout the world. The accompa-
nying organizational innovations in the past few years have gone beyond
straightforward crew reductions in some nations to reorganizations of crews
1
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CREW SIZE AND MARITIME SAFEI}
and reallocation of tasks. The traditional division of crews into deck and
engine departments, for example, is fading, as owners and operators seek
to make the most efficient use of labor and new technology.
In general, improved operating economics is the objective. Technolog-
ical improvements, including automation, have resulted in improved fuel
efficiency, higher reliability, and lower labor costs. In pursuing cost compet-
itiveness, however, the U.S. merchant marine has been faced with foreign
competition that has been even more intent on reducing crews. European
and Asian operators have led the way for several decades. Europeans
undertook the first major postwar crew reductions in response to labor
shortages during the worldwide shipping expansion of the 1960s and early
1970s. More reductions came in the 1980s, as a globally depressed shipping
market drove operators in many countries often with the aid of govern-
ment research and development programs to cut costs and streamline
operations by further automating ships. In the 1970s and 1980s, operators
in Japan, Taiwan, and other Asian nations became leaders in applying ship
technology and reducing crews.
In that sense, this report does not address a new concept. Many tech-
nological and organizational innovations now being examined in the United
States have been tested thoroughly by other nations' fleets. Comparable
progress in the United States, however, has been inhibited by a traditional
lack of coordinated and shared effort on the parts of government, industry,
and labor. It is not possible to approach optimization of manning without
a realistic collaboration involving these three sectors. Nonetheless, the
progress that has been made in the United States clearly demonstrates,
albeit on a limited basis, what can be achieved.
One emerging problem is the legal and regulatory framework of U.S.
shipping. Unlike other statutes, those applying to the manning of ships
lack a broad statement of regulatory purpose or policy that can be in-
terpreted by regulators as technology advances and socioeconomic goals
change. Instead, they specify manning practices based on outmoded ship-
board divisions of labor (such as the increasingly obsolescent distinction
between deck and engine departments) and watch-keeping practices (such
as the requirement to employ enough personnel to keep three watches in
traditional watch-keeping positions, even though most engine department
personnel no longer stand watches). These requirements limit the effi-
ciency with which shipboard labor can be used, without providing the safety
assurance that is the purpose of regulation.
Many nations have revised their manning statutes and regulations to
accommodate these moves toward operating efficiency. Others, including
the United States, have not. The result is that identical modern vessels
may carry widely varying crew sizes depending on the flag they fly. Since
the Coast Guard is responsible for ensuring that foreign-flag vessels do not
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INTRODUCTION
3
present undue risks to U.S. ports and waterways, the agency is put in the
anomalous position of permitting foreign vessels to enter U.S. ports with
crews that would be illegal under U.S. safety regulations.
To protect the environment and the safety of ships and seafarers, the
Coast Guard should be authorized by law to update its regulatory practices.
A regulatory framework that enforces half-century-old practices on a rapidly
evolving industry can support neither safety nor competitiveness. Nor does
it provide a rational basis for U.S. participation in international debate on
manning practices.
SAFETY CONCERNS
Some operators, maritime labor unions, and regulators have voiced
concerns that reductions in crews, if not managed properly, could degrade
safety. Some believe maintenance is widely neglected. Others say fatigue-
a perennial concern aboard ship has grown more widespread and more
serious. Still others worry that the elimination of entry-level positions has
degraded the skills of unlicensed crew members.
These concerns, if substantiated, would be expected to manifest them-
selves in increased accident rates, yet data to prove or disprove them are
scarce. Available casualty and accident data bases are insufficient for firm
judgments, and no full-scale statistical study of the problem has been done.
As will be shown in Chapter 2, while rates of ship casualties and personnel
injuries have declined steadily during the crew reductions of the past 20
years, the contribution of manning practices to this safety improvement
is obscured by the fact that many new technological advances and safety
requirements, with no bearing on manning, have occurred simultaneously.
Anecdotal evidence of growing safety problems is compelling to many, but
there is a lack of substantiating data to support or refute these perceptions.
The methodical, step-by-step crew reductions of other nations' fleets,
backed by years of experiment and analysis, lend confidence to the view
that properly managed crew reductions need not compromise safety. Ilans-
ferring that technology and operating practice to the U.S. maritime envi-
ronment, however, will require comprehensive attention not only to the
technology and personnel practices of the U.S.-flag fleet, but also to its
regulatory and legal framework.
MANNING REDUCTIONS IN THE WORLD'S FLEETS, 1950s-1980s
Since World War II, several generations of vessels have been launched.
Advances in automation, mechanization, and reallocation of crew members'
responsibilities, have each permitted reductions in crew levels.
All of these developments have been pioneered by Western European
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CREW SIZE AND MARITIME SAFETY
and Japanese operators, often with government assistance. The late 1950s
saw containerization of cargo, and the late 1960s saw the first engine
room automation; some engine room personnel were rendered redundant,
while most of the rest were relieved of watch-standing responsibilities.
The mid-1980s produced highly automated vessels like the products of the
German "Ship of the Future" program: with propulsion, navigation, and
communication controls centralized on the bridge; engine room layouts
arranged for easy maintenance; and installation of a variety of automated
safety equipment. These vessels were designed for crews as small as 11.
(Those operating under the American flag, however, carry crews of 21.)
In the late 1980s, European and Japanese governments supported
even greater automation, centralizing navigation, engine control, commu-
nications, and administrative functions on the bridge (which came to be
called a "ship operation center"), and more mechanization and automa-
tion throughout the vessel. Corresponding changes in crew members' job
assignments were made in efforts to make the most effective use of both
ship technology and labor.
Table 1-1 compares the manning patterns of four representative gen-
erations of ships, from the U.S.-flag steamship of the 1960s to the highly
sophisticated Japanese "Pioneer" series. To illustrate the effect of current
U.S. manning statutes and labor contracts, two manning scales are shown
for the German "Ship of the Future," one for German-flag operation and
the other for U.S.-flag operation.
The First Generation
Until the late 1960s, most ocean-going U.S.-flag cargo vessels were
powered by steam and had separate engine and boiler rooms. The en-
gine department on such a ship was typically manned by a chief engineer,
a first assistant engineer, a second assistant engineer, three third assis-
tant engineers, two electricians, three fire/watertenders, three oilers, and
three wipers each standing three watches. Three licensed engineers, the
fire/watertenders, and the oilers stood watches, four hours on and eight off,
round the clock.
The steward's department had seven to nine members. Food was
purchased in bulk quantities sides of beef, bags of flour, and boxes of
fruit and vegetables and reduced to meals by a staff of cooks, bakers,
and utility messmen. Meals were served restaurant style. A room steward
cleaned officers' quarters.
The deck department consisted of as many as 18 members: a master, a
chief mate, a second mate, three third mates, a boatswain, six able-bodied
seamen (ABs), three ordinary seamen (OSs), two day men, and a carpenter.
A mate, two ABs, and one OS stood each watch. The ABs and OSs also
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INTRODUCTION
TABLE 1-1 Crew Reductions, 1960s-1980s
s
Gelman "Ship
U.S.-flag, of the Future" Japanese
U.S.-flag Maintenance Early 1980s "Pioneer"
Steamship, Department, Ship
1960s Late 1980s F.R.G.* U.S. Late 1980s
Master 1 1 1 1 1
Chief Mate 1 1 1 1
2nd Mate 1 1 1 1
3rd Mates 3 1 1
Unlicensed deck
personnel 13 3 6
Chief Engineer 1 1 1 1 1
1st Asst. Eng. 1 1 1 1
2nd Asst. Eng. 1 2 1
3rd Asst. Eng. 3 1
Electncian 1 1
Boatswain 1 1
Unlicensed eng.
personnel 9 3
Maintenance
personnel 5
Gen. purpose crew 4 4
Dual-licensed officer 4
Steward's/catenng
personnel 8 4 2 3 1
Radio officer 1 1 1 1
TOTAL 45 21
14 21 1 1
*Gennan manning scale from Grove (1989), p. 4.
did deck maintenance and anchored, moored, and unmoored the ship. A
radio officer completed the crew.
Progress Toward the Unattended Engine Room
The initial postwar reductions in crew size were brought about by mak-
ing vessel machinery self-regulating, centralizing controls, and automating
certain functions. These developments culminated in the so-called "unat-
tended engine room," which can be monitored from the bridge or other
remote locations, and requires no watch-standing crew members in the
engine room itself.
Automated Boiler Controls
The first engine department crew reduction in the postwar United
States, in 1964, was enabled by installing automatic controls on propulsion
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CREW SIZE AND MARTTIME SAFETY
boilers. Boilers so equipped could be operated without constant human at-
tendance, and thus allowed the requirement for three fireman/watertenders
(one for each watch) to be removed from the vessel's Certificate of Inspec-
tion (COI). A vessel with automated boiler controls still required constant
attendance by an engineer and an oiler for each watch.
In the early 1970s, the oilers were relieved of watch-standing by cen-
tralization of machinery controls and installation of propulsion controls in
the pilothouse. A single licensed engineer thus stood each watch alone.
On oil tankers, the same technology huidic systems, electronic solid-state
controls, and data logging devices was also used for cargo pump controls.
The Unattended Engine Room
Diesel propulsion came into common use in the late 1960s to early
1970s with utilization of slow-speed diesel plants. Greater economy than
steam propulsion and better adaptability to full automation were the driv-
ing forces for this trend. Slow-speed diesel propulsion entered U.S.-flag
fleets in the 1970s. It let operators design machinery spaces for "period-
ically unattended" operation, with computers to monitor and control vital
systems. Periodically unattended machinery spaces could be unmanned for
prolonged periods of time, and therefore did not require round-the-clock
attendance by a licensed engineer.
This innovation was accompanied by further crew reductions (for ex-
ample, the elimination of one or more third assistant engineers). Its most
important effect, however, was to free crew members from watch-standing,
allowing them to do other jobs, such as maintenance; in this way it led
eventually to the creation (in the United States) of the maintenance depart-
ment, a more recent innovation discussed later in this chapter. In Japan,
the Federal Republic of Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, and other
countries, it opened the way for more sweeping change.
Innovations in the Deck Department
By a variety of labor-saving measures, vessel operators in the 1970s
did away with the need for daymen, carpenters, and most ordinary seamen.
Elimination of the Relief Person on Navigation Watches
In the deck department, labor-saving devices and the increasing use of
shore-based personnel for maintenance led to further crew reductions. For
example, navigation watch-standing on the bridge traditionally required a
licensed officer as well as a lookout and a helmsman (generally both ABs).
A third unlicensed person (generally an OS) was used for relief helmsman
and to serve as an additional lookout when needed. By the early 1970s,
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INTRODUCTION
7
the relief person had been eliminated on many ships by placing sanitary
facilities and drinking water on the same deck as the pilothouse, installing
watch-call systems (which wake the members of the next scheduled watch),
and other measures.
Mechanization of the Deck
Mooring, unmooring, and anchoring also became less labor intensive
with the installation of constant-tension winches with strategically located
controls, as well as lightweight synthetic mooring lines. New paints and
coatings diminished the need for chipping and painting. Automated hatch
covers also eliminated the need for much hand work.
Containenzai'on of Cargo
The containerization of cargo in the 196()s and 1970s further reduced
crew tasks and eliminated most cargo handling by crew members. For exam-
ple, containerization reduced the need for deck maintenance by eliminating
most shipboard cargo-handling equipment.
Technology in the Steward's Department
The steward's department was also reduced by the application of
technology. Microwave ovens and prepackaged meals eliminated most
food preparation and service. Officers began to make their own beds
and clean their own rooms. Microcomputers came into use for inventory
control. Steward's departments aboard U.S.-flag vessels now are typically
staffed by three or four persons, and often fewer.
The Maintenance Department Aboard U.S.-Flag Vessels:
Response to a Regulatory Impasse
In many foreign countries, advancing technology and accompanying
reductions in manning have prompted shipping companies, with the sup-
port of safety regulators and unions, to break down some of the traditional
departmental boundaries and eliminate the division of crews into watches.
Many European and Asian ships, for example, have "general purpose"
unlicensed crew members, who may work at either engine or deck respon-
sibilities as needed. Some also use dual~ualified "watch officers," who
have both engine and deck training (Grove, 1989~.
In the United States, the flexibility necessary to make effective and safe
use of personnel and new technology is not available under the manning
statutes administered by the U.S. Coast Guard (46 U.S.C. § 8103-9308~.
Those statutes, developed over many years on the basis of traditional
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CREW SIZE AND MARITIME SAFETY
practice, require the strict division of personnel aboard ship into deck and
engine departments, even though it would be more efficient to assign them
more flexibly (46 U.S.C. § 8104(e)~1~. In addition, they require division
of those who serve in the deck and engine departments into three watches,
although increasing numbers of shipboard workers do not stand watches
(46 U.S.C. § 8104~. To provide some flexibility, the Coast Guard in the
1970s acquiesced to the establishment by the industry of the position of
deck/engine mechanic. These day workers were assigned to the engine
department but could be used both on deck and in machinery spaces. They
usually had unlicensed engine training, as qualified members of the engine
department (QMEDs).
The Coast Guard in the late 1980s began to certificate some vessels
with shipboard "maintenance departments." Maintenance departments
are intended to provide the flexibility of assignments necessary to achieve
manning levels of 20 or less, within the bounds of existing law. Maintenance
personnel are permitted by the Coast Guard to perform both engine and
deck jobs, as well as routine maintenance. They are not divided into
watches.
Maintenance departments generally have five members. Coast Guard
policy requires generally that two members be QMEDs and the other three
ABs. (Two of the AB positions may be filled by specially trained OSs.)
Some vessels have been authorized to operate with three, rather than five,
maintenance persons, dispensing with the two QMEDs. The department
may be directed at different times by the master, the chief mate, and the
chief engineer, but the master retains ultimate authority in allocating crew
members' efforts.
The result of the Coast Guard's authorization of maintenance depart-
ments was to facilitate the distribution of labor more evenly between deck
and engine personnel. Automation of engine rooms had done away with
watch-standing in the engine department, thereby eliminating the need for
some unlicensed engine department personnel. Meanwhile, complements
of deck personnel, responsible for labor intensive but sporadic tasks such
as mooring, remained relatively numerous. The establishment of mainte-
nance departments permitted this unequal balance of labor to be corrected
(personal communication, Sean Connaughton, February 6, 1990~.
State of the Art and the Decade Ahead
In the 1980s, again, operators overseas have led U.S.-flag fleets in
manning-related innovations. This phase of innovation has emphasized
the centralized control of all ship functions on the bridge, with more
comprehensive automation of navigation, engine control, cargo operations,
safety and emergency systems, and communications. These changes have
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INTRODUCTION
9
been accompanied by reallocations of crew members' responsibilities and
dramatic crew reductions and have been supported by careful analysis and
experimentation (Grove, 1989; Yamanaka and Gaffney, 1988~.
In state-of-the-art ships the bridge has become a "ship operation
center," housing controls and monitors for all essential vessel functions.
Many routine navigational tasks, such as chart updating, position plotting,
and steering, have been automated: For example, aboard the German "Ship
of the Future," eight of which were built by early 1989, the ship's position is
determined automatically by a computer that integrates information from
satellite navigation systems and other equipment. The position is displayed
as a dot of light on an electronic chart. Ballast is adjusted from the bridge
while the ship is underway. Logs, reports, certificates, documents, and
letters are computerized, with electronic mail links via satellite to shore
(Grove, 1989; Kristiansen et al., 1989~.
The levels of automation in these ships, and other advanced vessels, not
only reduce the need for the helmsman and—in good visibility the lookout
on the bridge, but also reduce the need for deck and engine personnel
generally. The result is that some foreign vessels operate with very small
crews. Some large Norwegian vessels sail with crews of 8 to 12 (Kristiansen
et al., 1989~. The Japanese "Pioneer" vessels have 11-person crews (Grove,
1989; Yamanaka and Gaffney, 1988~. The German "Norasia" vessels carry
16 persons, but are designed to operate with 12 (Gaffney, 1989, p.8~.
Japan, which has carried out the world's most ambitious reduced manning
program, has mounted a research program to design a fully automated
vessel, capable of operation from sea buoy to sea buoy by a single person
or, ultimately, an advanced computer (Hamada, 1989~.
These radical manning reductions have led some European and Asian
shipping companies to eliminate or blur departmental distinctions with
"general purpose" unlicensed ratings and dual-qualified officers (trained in
both engine and deck skills). Further reductions may blur some distinctions
between licensed and unlicensed personnel; in Japan, for example, some
specially trained senior ratings already are permitted to serve in charge
of bridge and engine watches (Yamanaka and Gaffney, 1988~. In the
Netherlands, some ratings supervise anchor watches.
West Germany
General-purpose Ratings. Since 1987, the West German shipping in-
dustry has provided only general-purpose training for its unlicensed per-
sonnel, eliminating separate deck and engine specialties. These personnel
are known as ship's mechanics and can advance to the position of ship's
foreman.
In preparation for this change, Hapag-Lloyd AG, a German shipping
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CREW SIZE AND MARITIME SAFETY
company, experimented over 18 months with 4 ships manned by 18 crew
members, of whom 7 were general-purpose ratings. The success of this
experiment led the German government in 1984 to change its manning
regulations, allowing the crew of even the largest ship to be reduced to 19
persons, provided that manning was based on the general-purpose concept.
Dual~ualifi~d Officers. To meet the operating requirements of state-
of-the-art ships with controls and monitors centralized on the bridge, the
German shipping industry has recently developed the concept of the "ship
management officer." This officer would be responsible for the entire
ship—cargo, navigation, and maintenance and would need both technical
knowledge and expertise in seamanship. A ship manned by such officers
would have a master and four ship management officers; at present, German
ships carry three deck and two engineer officers, in addition to the master
(Froese, 1989~. In 1986 as a first step in that direction, the industry—with
government support began offering officers with existing top-level deck
or engine licenses the opportunity to earn medium-level credentials in the
opposite specialties.
Japan
Japanese shipping companies, perhaps, have gone further toward de-
partmental integration than those of any other flag. The initial experiments,
in 1979, were succeeded by a carefully planned sequence of steps toward a
new "Hypothetical Image of Seafarers." The goal was the complete elim-
ination of departmental distinctions, and the substitution of a shipboard
management team.
In 1981, the first phase of these experiments began aboard several
new vessels whose bridges were fitted with monitoring and control systems
for propulsion machinery and safety systems; remote controls for mooring
winches, cargo-handling equipment, and ballast; and satellite position loca-
tion and communication systems. The distinction between deck and engine
departments was removed for unlicensed personnel, and junior officers' po-
sitions (third officer and third engineer) were filled by dual-qualified watch
officers. This pattern of organization, with an 18-person standard crew, was
incorporated in the manning laws in 1983, and its application was widened
to more diverse types of ships. By April 1985, 145 ships were operating
with 18-person crews (Anonymous, 1989~.
Meanwhile, an experiment with 16-person crews had begun in 1982
aboard vessels with additional automated cargo-handling and navigation
equipment. Watch officers replaced engine and deck officers up to the level
of second officer and second engineer. In addition, specially trained ratings
were used as watch-keepers on the bridge. The success of this experiment
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INTRODUCTION
11
resulted in this manning pattern being put into law in 1986 and applied to
98 ships (Anonymous, 1989~.
Also in 1986, experiments with 14-person crews were begun. The ves-
sels' bridges were further automated, with all functions of the deck, engine,
and radio watches centralized in a ship operation center configuration, and
with additional labor-saving devices for mooring and unmooring.
The 11-person Pioneer Ship experiments began in April 1987 aboard
7 new vessels. The main technical innovations were the placement of
auxiliary engine and navigation controls on the wing of the bridge, a
labor-saving galley, and "labor-saving oil processing devices with sufficient
disposal facility" (Anonymous, 1989~.
The Netherlands
Dutch shipping companies pioneered the use of general-purpose rat-
ings and dual-qualified officers, beginning as much as 20 years ago. Dutch
officers are trained and licensed with major and minor specialties (naviga-
tion and technical) and are expected soon to be completely integrated as
"maritime officers" or "ship managers" (Cross, 1988~.
Highly trained ship mechanics with general-purpose qualifications have
been employed aboard Dutch ships since the late 1970s. However, they
reportedly are generally used in traditional engine and deck specialties,
since there has been too little highly skilled work available on today's
modern automated ships. Vessels may carry one or two ship mechanics to
maintain mechanical systems. More recently, they have been assigned as
core crew aboard vessels manned largely with unskilled Third World crew
members. In the guise of ship technicians, they may assume supervisory
responsibilities in such cases.
Two Models for Manning Innovation
In developing new concepts of vessel manning, operators have generally
adopted one of two general approaches to the allocation of management re-
sponsibilities between ship and shore. The first might be called the "airline
model," which involves shifting management and maintenance responsibil-
ities from ship to shore, with the crew responsible mainly for operating the
vessel from port to port. The other approach is to transfer management
responsibilities from shore to ship to raise efficiency and improve the qual-
ity of officers' jobs. A management team typically is formed consisting of
the master and department heads and sometimes junior officers and senior
ratings. The team may be responsible for operating expenses and bud-
get, personnel, and maintenance, within overall guidelines set by company
headquarters. The data and voice capabilities of modern communications
systems permit adequate exchange of information between ship and shore.
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CREW SIZE AND MARITIME SAFETY
In this scheme, the chief engineer becomes a particularly important part
of the team, responsible for planning and scheduling maintenance of all
mechanical systems.
MAKING THE BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY
Vessels now entering some U.S.-flag fleets embody the highest tech-
nology available worldwide. For example, the European-built C-10 con-
tainer ships recently put into service by American President Lines-
comprehensively automated ships of the future with all control systems
centralized on the bridge—are designed to operate with 11-member crews.
Under current laws, regulatory policies, and labor-management contracts,
however, they sail with crews of 21. The challenge to operators and regula-
tors is to use available technology effectively, without compromising safety.
At present there are three major obstacles to this goal.
1. The legal basis of manning decisions is antiquated and needs to
be reexamined; its rigidity in the face of technological change (notably
the division of crew into three watches and the prohibition of crossing
departmental lines) has become glaringly obvious.
2. The Coast Guard has no human factors models to guide its manning
judgments in vessel certification or accident investigation. With further crew
reductions, the agency will need far better information and analytical tools
to make manning decisions. In general, systems engineering and human
factors methods are used little in the shipping industry. Research in all
these areas is needed, with special attention to the unique features of work
aboard ships, such as stress and fatigue.
3. The available data on vessel safety as a function of manning are
inadequate to judge the safety of current crew levels, let alone those
envisioned for the future. Further data and statistical studies will be
required to confirm or eliminate those concerns.
The Need for a Systems Approach to Manning Assessments
In the United States, thus far, crew reductions have been accomplished
by straightforward substitutions of technology for human beings, with little
change in traditional work functions or overall work organization beyond
the consolidation of responsibilities described above. However, the pace of
change is continuing. Shipping companies have moved aggressively toward
greater efficiency by automating and mechanizing their vessels. Resulting
crew levels are approaching the minimum levels within the current U.S.
manning statutes. Further crew reductions will depend on more radical
changes in crew organization, such as general-purpose unlicensed personnel
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INTRODUCTION
13
permitted to work in both engine and deck departments and dual-qualified
officers who combine engine and deck training.
In the interest of efficiency and safety, therefore, it would be useful to
make a fresh and more comprehensive analysis of ship operations. With
careful attention to workers' functions and the fundamental ship design,
vessels could be developed to run safely with much smaller crews. Such
studies have been carried out in countries around the world and the results
are already seeing service (Grove, 1989; Yamanaka and Gaffney, 1988~.
Chapter 4 outlines a technique for making a thorough functional analysis
of the tasks that need to be done aboard ship and the potential for
automation.
SUMMARY
The rapid pace of innovation in the shipping industry is continuing
worldwide. New technology has permitted many U.S.-flag ship operators to
reduce crews by nearly half since the l950s. In the future, however, inno-
vation will be hampered by an antiquated statutory framework governing
. . .
manning decisions.
The safety effects of U.S. crew reductions are imperfectly understood.
Although it is clear that casualty and personnel accident rates have declined
during the same period that crews have been reduced, no definitive study
of the effects of these smaller crews has been made. The information on
which to base such a study is not readily available.
The history of manning innovation in Western Europe and Asia offers
grounds for confidence. Each phase of the crew reductions in Japan,
West Germany, the Netherlands, and elsewhere has been preceded by
study and experimentation to ensure that safety has not been degraded.
Crew reductions in the United States should build on this experience, with
appropriate attention to the unique features of the U.S.-flag fleet.
Although the most fundamental question continues to be whether
the move toward smaller crews in U.S.-flag fleets has tended to degrade
safety, an important directly related issue is whether the current statutory
framework adequately protects workers, vessels, and the environment, and
whether it unduly restricts the adoption of new technology.
Also at issue is the Coast Guard's role in ensuring that foreign-flag
vessels, with smaller crews than those permitted by U.S. regulations, do not
compromise safety in U.S. waters. The Coast Guard's dilemma is that in
the absence of clear violations of manning levels as dictated by flag states,
the Coast Guard must accept the decisions of foreign flag states concerning
manning of their vessels.
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CREW SIZE AND MARITIME SAFETY
REFERENCES
American President Lines. 1989. Labor contract. Report to the National Research Council
Committee on the Effect of Smaller Crews on Maritime Safety. Marine Board,
National Research Council, Washington, D.C. December 21.
Anonymous. 1989. The modernization of the seafarer's system in Japan. Paper presented
at Maritime Training Forum Europe '89, Amsterdam, June 20.
Connaughton, S. 1987. Coast Guard merchant vessel manning. Paper presented at
1987 Ship Operations, Management and Economics International Symposium, U.S.
Merchant Marine Academy, September 17-18.
Cross, S. J. 1988. Nautical training in the Netherlands: Present and future. Seaways
Froese, Jens. 1989. Training for advanced ships. Paper presented at Maritime Training
Forum Europe '89, Amsterdam, June 20. Meeting sponsored by Nautical Institute
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