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PubMed2002

Offshore safety case approach and formal safety assessment of ships.

PROBLEM: Tragic marine and offshore accidents have caused serious consequences including loss of lives, loss of property, and damage of the environment. METHOD: A proactive, risk-based "goal setting" regime is introduced to the marine and offshore industries to increase the level of safety. DISCUSSION: To maximize marine and offshore safety, risks need to be modeled and safety-based decisions need to be made in a logical and confident way. Risk modeling and decision-making tools need to be developed and applied in a practical environment. SUMMARY: This paper describes both the offshore safety case approach and formal safety assessment of ships in detail with particular reference to the design aspects. The current practices and the latest development in safety assessment in both the marine and offshore industries are described. The relationship between the offshore safety case approach and formal ship safety assessment is described and discussed. Three examples are used to demonstrate both the offshore safety case approach and formal ship safety assessment. The study of risk criteria in marine and offshore safety assessment is carried out. The recommendations on further work required are given. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: This paper gives safety engineers in the marine and offshore industries an overview of the offshore safety case approach and formal ship safety assessment. The significance of moving toward a risk-based "goal setting" regime is given.

Decision Making↗
PubMed1999

Evaluating the hazards of harmful substances carried by ships: the role of GESAMP and its EHS working group.

GESAMP's EHS working group, evaluation of the hazards of harmful substances carried by ships, contributed in the early 1970s to the chemical carriage provisions (Annexes II and III) of the MARPOL Convention, and after formal setup in 1974 under IMCO/IMO, has evaluated the hazards of approximately 2200 chemical substances transported worldwide by shipping. Hazard ratings for chemicals based on five criteria: bioaccumulation in marine organisms and tainting of seafood; damage to marine life defined by aquatic toxicity thresholds; acute hazard to human health, defined by oral intake; hazard to human health on the basis of skin or eye contact; and reduction of amenities, have been assigned by the working group experts (30 scientists from 11 countries overall). The ratings are used by IMO committes to assign marine pollution categories under MARPOL 73/78, ensuring that shipping of chemicals in bulk or as packaged goods is conducted with due consideration for ship type, guidelines for discharges from tank cleaning and deballasting operations, packaging and labeling and response during accidents or loss. Since 1995, the working group has reviewed and revised its hazard criteria, and largely harmonized them with OECD. This will ensure compatibility of criteria and approaches across transport sectors. The criteria now include two measures of bioaccumulation, biodegradation, chronic toxicity to aquatic organisms, additional human health endpoints, and effects on marine wildlife and benthic habitats. The working group maintains a composite list of evaluations of hazards of harmful substances at IMO, London.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Blue water nursing: the role of Navy nurses on board US Navy combatant ships.

The independent and autonomous nature of blue water nursing makes its practice exceptionally demanding, exciting, and rewarding for Navy nurses assigned to US Navy combatant ships. Whether serving on board an aircraft carrier or an amphibious assault ship, the lone critical care nurse is responsible for a diverse mix of nursing care ranging from community health to critical care. Delivering this care in an austere shipboard environment at sea, often in isolated locations without regular available support from shore-based medical facilities, defines the blue water aspect of this nursing practice. Due to this type of setting and the limited critical care nursing presence on board, the greatest professional challenge at sea is care of the critically ill and injured. Leadership and teamwork are essential. Navy Corpsmen play an integral role in the delivery of nursing care, and the nurse relies heavily on them. Because the nurse cannot do it all alone, taking the lead on providing training and clinical guidance to the Corpsmen is a key responsibility of the shipboard nurse. In this assignment, the critical care nurse also has a unique opportunity to make an impact the health and welfare of the ship's entire crew through wellness and prevention programs. Considering the personal and professional challenges and rewards of blue water nursing, most Navy nurses describe their tour of duty on board a combatant ship as the best assignment of their Navy career.

Critical Care↗
PubMed1989

Outbreaks of diarrhoeal illness on passenger cruise ships, 1975-85.

We reviewed data from the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), established by the US Public Health Service in 1975, to describe the epidemiology of shipboard diarrhoeal outbreaks, determine the risk of outbreak-related illness among cruise ship passengers, and evaluate changes in rates and patterns of shipboard diarrhoeal illness since the VSP was implemented. When the programme began, none of the cruise ships passed periodic VSP sanitation inspections; since 1978, more than 50% of ships have met the standard each year. On cruises lasting 3-15 days and having at least 100 passengers, diarrhoeal disease outbreaks investigated by the Centers for Disease Control decreased from 8.1 to 3.0 per 10 million passenger days between 1975-79 and 1980-85. The proportion of outbreaks due to bacterial pathogens (36%) did not change. Seafood cocktail was implicated in 8 of 13 documented food-borne outbreaks. The risk of diarrhoeal disease outbreaks on cruise ships appears to have decreased since implementation of the VSP but has not been eliminated.

Diarrhea↗
PubMed2006

Outbreak of Legionnaires' disease on a cruise ship linked to spa-bath filter stones contaminated with Legionella pneumophila serogroup 5.

In January 2003, two cases of Legionnaires' disease associated with a ship's cruise were registered in the database of National Epidemiological Surveillance of Infectious Diseases. A 70-year-old male heavy smoker with mild emphysema contracted the disease during a cruise. Legionella pneumophila serogroup (sg) 5 was isolated from the patient's sputum and the ship's indoor spa. The isolate from the spa matched the patient's isolate by genotyping performed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The second case was in a 73-year-old female. During epidemiological investigation, a third case of Legionnaire's disease in a 71-year-old male was subsequently diagnosed among passengers on the same ship on the following cruise. Environmental investigation revealed that porous natural stones (Maifanshi) in the filters of the spas had harboured L. pneumophila, a phenomenon which has not been reported except in Japan. This is the first documented evidence of L. pneumophila sg 5 infection on a ship and of porous stones as a source of Legionella infection.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Effects of display design on performance in a simulated ship navigation environment.

Although automation is playing an increasing role on the ship's bridge, empirical research on the effectiveness of alternative bridge designs is limited. In this paper, we describe an experimental study of the benefits of integrated information display, using a computerized simulation of a highly automated ship's bridge. The study compared three types of interface design, which presented radar and electronic chart information to the operator in different ways: (a) integrated display, (b) functionally-separate display, and (c) spatially-separate display. Effects were examined in relation to time on watch and scenario complexity. Following extensive training on the task, 39 participants were tested over a 4-h experimental session, during which they encountered a sequence of collision scenarios of varying complexity. Using a dual-task methodology, a range of measures of primary and secondary task performance were taken, together with assessment of information sampling behaviour and subjective operator state (workload, fatigue, anxiety and situation awareness). The results indicated slight navigational advantages of the integrated display over the two alternative display types, although it also incurred higher levels of operator cost, particularly fatigue. There were no marked effects of time on watch, but more complex scenarios were associated with impaired performance, increased workload and reduced situation awareness. Overall, the findings have suggested some benefits of integrating primary information sources in a ship's bridge environment. The study further confirms the value of experimental simulations as tools for investigating design issues for ship's bridge automation.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Fouling and ships' hulls: how changing circumstances and spawning events may result in the spread of exotic species.

Organisms fouling ships' hulls are continually in transit worldwide. Although effective antifouling paints incorporating organotins have considerably reduced fouling biomass these paints have a limited period of effectiveness, which may be less than the ships' inter-docking period, depending on sea temperature and abrasion. Vessels immersed over several years can allow fouling communities to develop and spread beyond their native distribution. This process of establishment is not fully understood. This review proposes that short rapid turn-around of vessels with mature attached biota can result in synchronized spawnings and production of sufficient zygotes to form a founder population. Spawning may be induced by changes in temperature or salinity on entry into a port, according to season. The diversity of taxa in transit on ships' hulls includes commercial molluscs, which have the potential to transmit their diseases or pests to port regions. Several factors may act in the further enhancement of exotic species establishment including changes of in-port berthing regions to more marine conditions. Ships today are generally larger, and faster, and have a high frequency of port visits thereby increasing the number of spawning opportunities, perhaps with a larger inoculum size. With trade expansion, new trading routes, political events and changes in climate, new pathways for invasion will emerge. Greater controls on industrial discharges, improved treatments of urban wastes and better management of waste runoff into rivers as well as a phasing out of organotin antifoulants will mean a reduced toxicity in port regions. This may enable a smaller inoculum to colonize by creating opportunities for establishment not present in the previous 25 years. Some invaders will have unwanted consequences for the environment, economies and human health.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Legionnaires' disease on a cruise ship linked to the water supply system: clinical and public health implications.

The occurrence of legionnaires' disease has been described previously in passengers of cruise ships, but determination of the source has been rare. A 67-year-old, male cigarette smoker with heart disease contracted legionnaires' disease during a cruise in September 1995 and died 9 days after disembarking. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 was isolated from the patient's sputum and the ship's water supply. Samples from the air-conditioning system were negative. L. pneumophila serogroup 1 isolates from the water supply matched the patient's isolate, by both monoclonal antibody subtyping and genomic fingerprinting. None of 116 crew members had significant antibody titers to L. pneumophila serogroup 1. One clinically suspected case of legionnaires' disease and one confirmed case were subsequently diagnosed among passengers cruising on the same ship in November 1995 and October 1996, respectively. This is the first documented evidence of the involvement of a water supply system in the transmission of legionella infection on ships. These cases were identified because of the presence of a unique international system of surveillance and collaboration between public health authorities.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) ignore ships but respond to alerting stimuli.

North Atlantic right whales were extensively hunted during the whaling era and have not recovered. One of the primary factors inhibiting their recovery is anthropogenic mortality caused by ship strikes. To assess risk factors involved in ship strikes, we used a multi-sensor acoustic recording tag to measure the responses of whales to passing ships and experimentally tested their responses to controlled sound exposures, which included recordings of ship noise, the social sounds of conspecifics and a signal designed to alert the whales. The whales reacted strongly to the alert signal, they reacted mildly to the social sounds of conspecifics, but they showed no such responses to the sounds of approaching vessels as well as actual vessels. Whales responded to the alert by swimming strongly to the surface, a response likely to increase rather than decrease the risk of collision.

Acoustics↗
PubMed1989

Deaths in sheep exported by sea from Western Australia--analysis of ship Master's reports.

Mortality reports were studied for 181 shipments of live sheep from Western Australia to the Middle East and Singapore in 1985 and 1986. Samples of pelleted feed for 93 shipments were analysed for quality. Overall death rate in the 6.46 million sheep exported in the period of the study was 2.18%. In sheep bound for the Middle East, most of the deaths occurred during the voyage (overall rate 1.7%, range 0.4-4.4% per shipment), although substantial mortality was recorded during discharge (rate 0.4%, range 0.0-1.8%). There were few deaths during loading (rate 0.07%, range 0.0-0.8%). Deaths in sheep bound for Singapore were almost 10-fold lower than those sent to the Middle East. Several findings suggested that ship design and management may contribute to mortality. Death rates were invariably low on some ships and often high on others. Death rates were nearly always higher in enclosed decks than in open decks on 4 vessels, and point epidemics of mortality were observed in several shipments. Temperature and relative humidity measured on the ship's bridge were not closely related to daily death rate. Antibiotics estimated to cost $226,000 were used during 33 voyages in 1986 and were considered of dubious efficacy on shipboard mortality. Analysis of feed pellets used on ship showed that the quality of the diet was within the range set by draft national standards for pellets used in the live sheep export industry.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1996

Surveillance of deaths on board Danish merchant ships, 1986-93: implications for prevention.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and analyse the types and circumstances of all natural and non-natural deaths among seamen on board Danish merchant ships. METHODS: Data on 147 cases were obtained from maritime authorities, an insurance company, shipping companies, hospitals, death registers, and death certificates in the period from 1986-93. RESULTS: The 53 natural deaths were dominated by cardiovascular diseases and infectious diseases. Insufficient treatment on board was identified as a contributing factor for death in some cases. Medical advice was not always sought and the advice given was in some cases insufficient. 73 fatal accidents were identified. The incidence of accidents of 5.29/10,000 person-years was 11.5 times higher than the incidence of 0.46/10,000 for the Danish male workforce ashore. 23 accidents (31%) were due to maritime casualties and 26 (36%) were occupational accidents. The remaining 24 (33%) were accidents during off duty hours including six self intoxications. Rough weather, inadequate awareness of safety, lack of use of personal protection devices, and inexperience were associated with many of the fatal injuries directly related to work. Alcohol played a major part in 12 out of 18 fatal injuries occurring during off duty hours. CONCLUSIONS: The maritime workplace was identified as a high risk workplace and in many aspects differs from the conditions ashore. Acute diseases and serious injuries pose special risks to seamen because of a lack of direct access to professional medical care at sea. Primary prevention of certain diseases is needed and possible. Improved training, improved systems of work, improved safety awareness, and greater use of personal protection devices are needed to prevent fatal injuries. Medical training of ships' officers providing medical care on board and specific training of doctors giving medical advise to ships should be improved to meet the needs.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2006

Epidemic infectious gastrointestinal illness aboard U.S. Navy ships deployed to the Middle East during peacetime operations--2000-2001.

BACKGROUND: Infectious gastrointestinal illness (IGI) outbreaks have been reported in U.S. Navy ships and could potentially have an adverse mission impact. Studies to date have been anecdotal. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of weekly reported disease and non-battle injury health data collected in 2000-2001 from 44 U.S. Navy ships while sailing in the 5th Fleet (Persian Gulf and nearby seas). RESULTS: During this period, 11 possible IGI outbreaks were identified. Overall, we found 3.3 outbreaks per 100 ship-weeks, a mean outbreak duration of 4.4 weeks, and a mean cumulative ship population attack rate of 3.6%. Morbidity, represented by days lost due to personnel being placed on sick-in-quarters status, was higher during outbreak weeks compared to non-outbreak weeks (p = 0.002). No clear seasonal distribution was identified. CONCLUSION: Explosive outbreaks due to viruses and bacteria with the potential of incapacitating large proportions of the crew raise serious concerns of mission impact and military readiness.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed2006

Effects of heavy drinking by maritime academy cadets on hangover, perceived sleep, and next-day ship power plant operation.

OBJECTIVE: The effects of an evening of heavy drinking on next-day occupational performance are mixed across studies and have not been investigated for ship-handling performance. Furthermore, it is not known whether the residual effects of alcohol on next-day performance are due to its effects on sleep. METHOD: Merchant marine cadets (N=61) who had been trained on a diesel power plant simulator and who drank heavily at least episodically were given placebo beer one evening and were randomized on a second evening to placebo or real beer that resulted in a mean breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) of .115 g%. After an 8-hour sleep period, a meal, and a return to < or = .02 g% BrAC, cadets were assessed with self-report measures and the power plant simulator. RESULTS: No effects of beverage condition were seen on actual performance, although cadets who consumed alcohol rated their performance as impaired compared with the placebo conditions. Alcohol consumption also increased the Acute Hangover Scale score, improved perceived sleep quality, and decreased perceived latency to sleep onset while not affecting perceived sleep duration. CONCLUSIONS: While residual alcohol effects are found on some complex performance tasks, residual effects of .11 to .12 g% BrAC were not seen on ship engine simulator performance despite increased hangover symptoms and perceived impairment from the hangover. Therefore, this level of heavy drinking might not be deleterious to next-day routine occupational performance by young ship engineers despite the subjective ill effects. The perception that alcohol improves sleep onset might be a motivation for some to drink heavily. The effects on older engineers, at higher alcohol levels, and on other ship-handling tasks still need to be studied.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Outbreak of Legionnaires' disease on a cruise ship: lessons for international surveillance and control.

A sporadic case of Legionnaires' disease was linked to travel on a cruise ship. Investigation identified two further cases of Legionnaires' Disease and one case of non-pneumonic Legionella infection. An Incident Team confirmed the source to be the ship's water system and control measures were instituted that included pasteurisation, super chlorination and chlorine dioxide dosing. The Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC), through the European Surveillance Scheme for Travel Associated Legionnaires' Disease, identified three previous cases associated with the same ship's water system including one fatality. Lessons for the international surveillance and control of Legionnaires' disease on cruise ships are discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

[Experience with passenger motor ship re-equipment used for evacuation of the wounded and sick].

In September 2002 the mobilization headquarters training was conducted on the base of Volga-Baltic steamship. During this training the passenger motor-vessel (the project 301) was re-equipped into sanitary-and-transport ship. The sanitary treatment coast post and the elements of evacuation receiving-room were developed by the personnel on the shore near the mooring wall. On the 3rd day the ship's sanitary treatment post, medical department (60 beds) with the wards for psychic patients (4 critical patients/ward), post for nurse on duty, room of physician on duty, dressing room, drugstore, autoclave room, clinical laboratory and collective defense post were created in the re-equipped rooms of the ship. The training has confirmed the advantages of casualty and patient transportation using the inner water-ways over the other types of transport. The following defects should be noted: the season work of river transport; frequent discrepancy of river trend with evacuation ways; comparatively low rate of transportation; different types of river ships used for medical evacuation.

History, 19th Century↗
PubMed2005

The contribution from shipping emissions to air quality and acid deposition in Europe.

A global three-dimensional Lagrangian chemistry-transport model STOCHEM is used to describe the European regional acid deposition and ozone air quality impacts along the Atlantic Ocean seaboard of Europe, from the SO2, NOx, VOCs and CO emissions from international shipping under conditions appropriate to the year 2000. Model-derived total sulfur deposition from international shipping reaches over 200 mg S m(-2) yr(-1) over the southwestern approaches to the British Isles and Brittany. The contribution from international shipping to surface ozone concentrations during the summertime, peaks at about 6 ppb over Ireland, Brittany and Portugal. Shipping emissions act as an external influence on acid deposition and ozone air quality within Europe and may require control actions in the future if strict deposition and air quality targets are to be met.

Acid Rain↗
PubMed2004

Dealing with gastrointestinal illness on a cruise ship--Part 1: Description of sanitation measures. Part 2: An isolation study.

BACKGROUND: Recent outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness (GI) on passenger ships have caused cruise companies to expand their sanitation programs. OBJECTIVES: To describe sanitation procedures and measures involving the medical staff of one cruise ship (Part 1), and to show how one of the new measures, isolation, influenced medical practice (Part 2). METHODS: Consecutive GI logs were reviewed from 17 cruises of a ship with an average of 590 passengers and 611 crew per day. RESULTS: During a 250-day period 207 persons were isolated for a total of 419 days: 113 passengers (75 with GI, 38 asymptomatic contacts) and 94 crew (57 with GI, 37 contacts). The percentage of GI cases per 7 days varied between 0.10% and 0.43% among passengers and between 0 and 0.39% among crew, except for one cruise when the percentage per 7 days reached 2.16% among passengers and 0.61% among crew. CONCLUSIONS: A detailed operational directive for all aspects of sanitation is helpful for prevention and control of GI outbreaks on ships. A strict isolation policy is an expensive, but critical measure, which in particular challenges the medical staff.

Diarrhea↗
PubMed2004

Social status versus formal rank of medical and other officers--an informal survey among passengers and seafarers on cruise ships.

BACKGROUND: Modern cruise ships have a rigid hierarchic structure, but status of the officers may have changed over time. OBJECTIVES: To get an impression of how cruise officers and crew (=staff) and experienced passengers perceive the status of various shipboard positions, particularly Doctor and Nurse, and compare with present ranks. METHODS: Passengers and staff during a World Cruise (Ship 1) and staff on a sister-ship (Ship 2) during a voyage without passengers were asked by questionnaire to rank shipboard jobs by assigning 0-4.5 stripes to each position according to perceived social status. Median values were reported. RESULTS: 29% of 109 passengers and 11% of 899 staff responded. Captain was assigned 4.5 stripes by both female and male passengers and staff, followed by Vice Captain (4 stripes, as now, by all). Chief Engineer (4 stripes) was downgraded by male passengers and female staff. Hotel Director (4 stripes) was rated as now by all but male passengers. Executive Housekeeper (2.5 stripes) was upgraded by all but male staff. Doctor (3 stripes) received 4 stripes from passengers and 3.5 from staff. Nurse (2 stripes) got 3 stripes from passengers and 2 stripes from staff. All upgraded Security Officer (2 stripes). CONCLUSIONS: The participants seemed to accept the hierarchic rank structure aboard, with the captain alone on top. Marine officers, especially those considered responsible for safety, security and health, were ranked high by all, while passengers also tended to upgrade hotel officers with visible problem-solving positions. Passengers and staff agreed that the Doctor and the Security Officer deserve more stripes, while the Nurses were upgraded by passengers, but not by staff.

Adult↗