Fatigue continues to pose a major risk to maritime safety, despite years of regulations and discussions. Factors like tight work schedules, reduced crew numbers, and challenges from weather or port activities contribute to ongoing tiredness. Even one poor night's sleep can slow reactions, reduce focus, and lead to errors.

The core issue lies in the current setup, which makes full compliance with work and rest hours nearly unachievable. Industry insiders widely recognize this problem. Ship managers, represented by InterManager, strive daily to maintain safe operations, support crews, and handle growing operational pressures. They prioritize fatigue management for safety, crew well-being, and retention, but the environment hinders progress.

Why Compliance Falls Short

Modern vessels face increased demands from environmental rules, reporting duties, inspections, and paperwork. Crew sizes, however, remain unchanged or smaller, leading to heavier workloads. Seafarers often cannot meet rest requirements because tasks must be completed regardless.

Feedback from InterManager members and crews reveals that rest logs are commonly adjusted to appear compliant. This stems from impractical rules, not crew misconduct. When staffing is insufficient, workers finish jobs and then update records accordingly. The flaw is in the regulations, not the people.

Outdated STCW Framework

The STCW Convention, updated in 2010, reflects an earlier era of shipping. It overlooks today's realities, where one crew member may handle duties once split between two. Rest hour limits and manning standards seem straightforward in theory but fail in practice.

This mismatch normalizes fatigue, raising error rates and near-misses while eroding safety. InterManager advocates revising STCW to address fatigue as a systemic problem, not a personal shortfall.

Limits of Digital Solutions

Technology promises automated rest tracking and workload monitoring, but many tools add complexity rather than relief. New apps and platforms require extra input from busy crews.

Effective digitalization should focus on users, eliminating redundancies, automating reports, and providing insights without overwhelming staff.

Building Trust Through Openness

Adjusted fatigue reports highlight a focus on documentation over actual conditions, eroding confidence among crews, shore teams, and inspectors. True progress requires safe reporting without penalties, viewing managers as collaborators, and incorporating input from those at sea.

Ship managers juggle safety, compliance, and efficiency under intense demands. They manage fatigue's impacts daily without creating the underlying issues. InterManager supports achievable standards that uphold safety.

Regulations must evolve beyond outdated manning levels and added administrative loads. Rules should draw from real seafaring experiences.

InterManager's Role and Vision

As a global group of ship and crew managers, InterManager promotes honesty in addressing system failures. Fatigue demands industry-wide courage matching that of seafarers.

STCW revisions present a chance for practical rest standards, updated manning, and supportive tech. InterManager seeks collaborative reforms prioritizing people over paperwork.

Fatigue is a structural challenge needing broad solutions. Acknowledging realities and empowering seafarers and managers with adequate time, trust, and resources will build a safer future.

Based an article from maritime-executive.com