By
Rebecca Gibson |
Industry experts attending Passenger Ship Safety Southampton from 4-6 April 2017 will highlight which technologies, solutions and strategies will help cruise and ferry operators mitigate risks and keep passengers safe at sea.
Hans Hederstrom, managing director of Carnival Corporation’s CSMART Academy, will present key findings from a research project that shows how regular simulator training for unusual situations helps operators to ensure onboard employees take the correct actions during pressurised situations.He will also share success strategies, such as moving away from the old hierarchical system where the captain does everything, to coordinated team approach.
“Control functions must be in place in any operating environment so that an error by one person in the team should be expected and managed, but an error from a team of three or four people is a hazard that must be dealt with at an organisational level,” said Hederstrom.
Captain Samir Mahdaly from the College of Technology and Maritime Transport at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in Egypt, will present how global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology can be used in maritime search and rescue operations.
“This technology improves the ability to find survivors in water, either by day or night, as well as those in restricted visibility or even those trapped in a sunken wreck,” said Mahdaly. “The person tracking system combines the use of GNSS technology for locating survivors and specialised software allowing the information to be viewed via the internet on electronic charts display.”
Cyber security, which is likely to be one of the biggest global threats in 2017, will also be a key focus. Passenger Ship Safety will welcome Phil Tinsley, maritime security manager at BIMCO, to discuss the specific issues the industry faces, how to train for breaches, minimise impact and ensure operational systems onboard are not compromised. In addition, cruise and ferry operators will able to learn how to report incidents without incurring reputational damage.
“Passengers expect connectivity no matter where they are in the world and the cruise industry has to ensue this link does not compromise any of the passengers personal or sensitive data, or the operational systems onboard,” said Tinsley.
Passenger Ship Safety Southampton is the only forum of its kind discussing how to keep passengers safe at sea. More than 150 representatives from cruise and ferry lines, coastguards, emergency response, government and industry will attend the three-day event, which also includes an exhibition and networking breaks.