Training resource for ship operators

A free training resource has been developed to help improve the lives of seafarers around the world.

Professor Helen Sampson of the Seafarers International Research Centre (SIRC) at Cardiff University, has developed the tool to help improve relationships between those working on ships and staff on the shore.

More than 1.5 million people worldwide work at sea, often in difficult conditions and spending long periods away from home. Previous research has found systemic tensions in the relationships between seafarers and shore-based personnel within the same organisations.  Issues of particular concern to seafarers include being disturbed by calls late at night, being burdened with repeated requests for the same information and being expected to respond rapidly to client demands.

An animation accompanied by a written training guide will be made available to all ship operators as a free resource. They have been produced with funding support from Lloyd’s Register Foundation.

Professor Sampson, based in Cardiff University’s School of Social Sciences, will launch the animation at the CrewConnect Global conference in Manila on November 6.

She said: “It is important that shore-based staff and sea-staff work well together. The purpose of the animated resource is to assist companies in training non-technical shore-based personnel who regularly interact with personnel aboard ships.

The film aims to increase people’s understanding of what it is like to live and work on board a vessel. We think that relationships can be improved a great deal simply by raising awareness of the shipboard work/life context. We are delighted to have had an opportunity to produce this resource and we hope the animation will be widely used by the industry.”

SIRC was established in 1995 with a view to conducting research on seafarers. The Centre has a particular emphasis on issues of occupational health and safety. It is the only international research facility of its kind and has built up unparalleled experience of research in this field.