By
Rebecca Gibson |
Vice Admiral William Burke tells Rebecca Gibson how his experience in the US Navy will help him improve safety on Carnival Corporation & plc’s ten-brand fleet
Passenger safety has always been a key priority at Carnival Corporation & plc and this commitment was given a new focus when Vice Admiral William Burke was appointed to the newly created role of executive vice president and chief maritime officer of corporate maritime operations last December. Burke works with the newbuild, refit, R&D, quality assurance and policy teams to identify how the global company can leverage innovative technologies to make its ships safer and more efficient.
“Carnival has an impressive safety record, but we want to improve it even further,” says Burke. “My job is to ensure we learn lessons from recent incidents and make sure we are well equipped to handle these situations in future.”
Burke’s role enables him to draw on his 35 years of experience in the US Navy where he served as a submarine commodore and completed high-level assignments in the defence industry. “When I retired from the navy, I hoped that I’d be able to use my marine experience at Carnival,” he says. “Unlike cruise ship officers, navy officers are trained in both deck operations and engineering, so I am comfortable in various roles. I’m in an ideal position to resolve the challenges faced by deck and engine officers, while promoting common standards across Carnival.”
While safety training is important in both the navy and the cruise industry, cruise operators are not able to carry out regular shipboard exercises to ensure their officers can deal with emergencies in high-risk situations. Burke explains cruise safety drills must be carried out in virtual simulators. “Life at sea is unpredictable and officers have to cope with incidents such as power failures or unexpected weather changes,” he says. “Simulator training teaches them how to react in these situations and tests their skills without risking passengers’ lives.”
Unsurprisingly, increasing the robustness of crew training is high on Burke’s agenda. Carnival’s bridge and technical officers will in future train annually at the Center for Simulator Maritime Training (CSMART) in the Netherlands, rather than every three years. Carnival will also move to a purpose-built training centre in mid-2016 and expand its course programme.
In the short term, Burke is focused on reducing the risk of onboard fires. “Preventing fires at sea is a key priority because once they start, there’s nowhere to escape,” he says. “In addition to expanding our fire suppression systems, we’re looking at how cameras and ‘sniffers’ can be used to rapidly detect fires and we are installing additional power sources.”
Standardising health and safety procedures across Carnival’s ten brands is next on his list. “We want to standardise their disparate management procedures and operational systems to help us to audit ships more efficiently and develop more effective training programmes,” he says. “We also aim to forge performance-based contracts with vendors, whereby Carnival would promise a certain amount of funding in return for guaranteed product performance. This would allow us to replace our individual brand agreements with one overall contract and share equipment between ships.”
Spending years overseeing large newbuild and refit projects has given Burke insight into how Carnival can mitigate the financial challenges of maintaining its fleet. “Managing large budgets taught me the value of carrying out maintenance at the right time,” says Burke. “Making one wrong choice can be expensive so we aim to make purchasing and maintenance decisions based on total ownership costs. I also want to establish a team that will focus on improving diesel generator performance, installing scrubbers and increasing HVAC, hull and propeller efficiency.”
It is clear is that under the direction of Burke, Carnival’s safety record is set to go from strength to strength. “I love my job and even when I’m at home, I’m thinking of ways to make our ships safer,” he admits. “I’ve definitely found the role I was looking for – I can make a difference while learning so much more.”
This article appeared in the Autumn/Winter 2014 edition of International Cruise & Ferry Review. To read other articles, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats.