THE latest maritime anticollision technologies will only prevent accidents at sea if ship operators are prepared to invest in both the technology and proper training for the ships鈥� officers who will use it, say shipping experts.
The warning follows the farcical sequence of collisions in the English Channel over the New Year, in which two ships struck the well-marked wreck of the car carrier Tricolor, which had sunk in shallow water after itself colliding with another ship.
On New Year鈥檚 Day, the Turkish tanker Vicky, carrying 70,000 tonnes of jet fuel, ploughed into the wreck of the Tricolor, which was lying on its side in 30 metres of water. A French naval vessel and two tugs were guarding the wreck, and it was also surrounded by a ring of illuminated buoys, one of which had a radar transponder that shows up clearly on any ship鈥檚 radar. Coastguards were sending out reminders of the wreck to shipping every hour.
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The Vicky, like most ships, relies on paper charts. Captains receive updates by telex giving the position of any new obstacles. Yet the captain of the Vicky said he had no idea the wreck was there. 鈥淚 was aghast,鈥� says Allan Graveson, national secretary of NUMAST, the union representing ships鈥� officers in Britain. French coastguards are currently investigating the accidents.
Technologies coming on-stream that might help prevent such accidents in future include the use of computerised navigation charts that can be automatically updated with hazard positions, and radio transponders fixed to ships that will continuously 鈥渟quawk鈥� a ship鈥檚 call sign, position, course and speed when interrogated by coastguards.
One risk with paper charts is that they have to be updated manually, which makes them vulnerable to human error. Until last year, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN body that sets the standards for shipping, required all ships to use paper charts. Ships are now allowed to use electronic charts, but few do, and Graveson says it could be 30 years before electronic charts become universal. 鈥淭he same operators that have been cutting back on officers try to block every technological advance, because it costs money,鈥� he says.
While Graveson welcomes electronic charts, he points out that officers will have to be trained to use them. Even the best technology is of little help if crew cannot use it properly, he points out. In December, the IMO decided to speed up the introduction of transponders on ships, because of concerns about terrorists using ships. By the end of 2004 all ships on international voyages must have transponders.
Britain鈥檚 Maritime and Coastguard Agency is installing a new vessel-monitoring system at Dover costing over 拢1 million, which will be operational by April. It will enable coastguards to identify and monitor the progress of each of the 500 or so ships that sail through the Strait of Dover every day 鈥� and warn them if they are sailing into danger.
The system features a dual-frequency radar that will reduce the risk of the coastguards missing a ship. Because radar signals are reflected by waves, single-frequency radar can miss small ships even in relatively smooth seas, says Steve Guest of NorControl IT, the Norwegian firm that provided the system.
The system has a lot in common with air traffic control. 鈥淎 lot of the procedures at Dover will be automated,鈥� says Guest. But the coastguards urge caution. 鈥淚f officers don鈥檛 follow the basic rules, there is little we can do to stop collisions,鈥� says James Findlay of the coastguard.