Good Morning everyone, I will be talking this morning about the review and restructure of Cruise Whitsundays Safety Management Systems. 1
This presentation is about the restructure of Cruise Whitsundays Safety Management Systems. Cruise Whitsundays is a large marine tourism company and is part of the Journey Beyond Group - 12 vessels, - 2 pontoons permanently moored GBR - 10 ancillary vessels - 160 marine crew - a maritime terminal - marina and fuel farm - engineering workshop and stores department CWS deliver GBR, Whitehaven Beach and Sailing tours as well as inter island ferry and airport transfers. 2
Part E immediate and appropriate emergency action can be taken when there is a failure of an essential system; the risk associated with the nature of the activity conducted by the vessel is reduced to the extent that is reasonably practicable Part E upfront in section 2 outlines Risk Assessment requirements. It is a short section with 3 main points, but it is the essence of Part E and the SMS is built around this In reviewing and restructuring the fleet SMS we undertook a risk assessment of: Induction, crew training, drills, appropriate crew and documented procedures 3
Let s move through these different areas. 3
Induction The level or depth of induction to meet the requirements of Part E varied from full operational crew Master, Mate, engineer, deckhand, cruise attendants through to special personnel and supernumerary crew such as auditors, divers, massage and transiting crew in uniform. The induction is broken into sections. Depending on the operational role on board different sections are completed with operational crew completing all parts and supernumerary crew completing only section A, which focuses on the location of safety equipment and the emergency plan requirements. 4
Part E sufficient training in key onboard operations to establish, maintain and verify the competence and capacity of the person to safely carry out assigned duties; Training competency requirements of individual crew positions There is a direct link between training and Appropriate Crew We re-examined what operational positions need to be onboard to safely operate, versus product delivery and customer service. We examined what crew roles where in operating the vessel and what additional training requirements were needed within each type of operation. A deckhand on vessel operating as an interisland ferry has training across many operational aspects of the vessel. The smaller ferry crew (2-3) operating with dual master/engineer require a greater level of competence across all emergency and engineering systems as well as seamanship and customer service. 5
However a deckhand on a vessel that is operating to the GBR with a larger crew will often have less engineering and systems training but need additional training requirements in seamanship, working as part of a team, in-water safety and rescue and customer service. Training support materials where developed to support the SMS including engineering, small vessel handling, working at heights and oil spill contingency manuals. 6
A host of other legislative requirements apply to all maritime operations. For administrative ease, the CWS SMS does not repeat these requirements but points to them, indicating where they are located. 7
For example: WHS including manual handling, SDS, work at heights, diving and snorkelling COP Local legislation including safe food handling, responsible service of alcohol Company policies and human resource requirements 8
Additional legislative and company requirements will depend on the industry for example Fishing whether commercial catch or charter fishing have a raft of fishing legislation Trading / cargo - high risk work requirements - lifting gear, forklifts, cranes and derricks Svitzer as a multinational implement the Offshore Vessel Management and Self Assessment to assist them to globally harmonise the way they deliver safe operations Who delivers the training: In any fleet based operation including CWS there are different complexities so the training is delivered by a number of different people who are delegated the responsibility. This is a combination of internal and external training. All crew training is supported by formal supervision arrangements. 9
Training in emergency response and equipment: Part E (a) initial safety training - safety matters, the person s presence and duties (c) sufficient training in emergency procedures to respond to emergency plan And risk assessment for emergency response that may be required. From Part E, it is mandatory to have emergency training, however it is not prescriptive about how to obtain it. Previous Qld legislation required ESS course if the person has been employed as part of the crew for 6 months. This readily available training has remained a standard with all crew needing to complete the course within 3 months. Because of the mobility of the crew across the fleet, we standardised the Emergency Plan roles for each type of operation and the muster station location across the fleet. 10
Sufficient training and ongoing ability to respond Drill regime (risk assessment) To establish the level of emergency training and the competence level needed across all crew roles we looked at the variation in operational risks. We considered the number vessels, their operational area, the type of operation (ferry vs tours), staff turnover, Emergency Plan duties (Who fights the fire senior deckhand and engineer, who does the first aid Cruise attendant), crew mobility across the fleet (there is a focus on cross training of all crew). The Drill Matrix needed to cover all the emergency scenarios with a frequency that ensured all crew could competently fulfil their emergency station list roles on all vessels and across all operations. It amounted to 14 drills / month, many of which are combined and a combination of desk top and scenario. We also streamlined drill recording processes to decrease the administrative burden on crew and operations personnel. The result of the increased drill requirements has delivered diversity in the scenarios and crew of all levels, not just the Master now run drills. 11
Appropriate Crew Determining appropriate crew again started with risk assessment and evaluating risk across all the Class 1 requirements. CWS achieved the appropriate crew number through a process of building a table that referenced other areas of the SMS such as the Emergency plans, assembly stations, position of safety equipment and accessibility and procedures for onboard operations. Appropriate crew for a vessel is dependent on the specific operation. For example, in CWS the 2 reef vessels take hundreds of passengers to the GBR snorkelling and diving from a moored pontoon, also take people to WHB and operate as interisland ferries. The appropriate crew therefore changes dependant on the operation as the risks vary. Tour vessels have an added crew to passenger ratio (increased crew with increased passengers). 12
Procedures for onboard operations This was the most challenging part of restructuring the SMS This is the section of the SMS that attracts the most frequent amendments and additions. It involves working closely with crew and all aspects of the operation to make sure the information is accurate, relevant and achievable. If you don t do it, don t put it in the SMS! 13
With the introduction of new equipment, changes to procedures and the result of incident or near incident all trigger changes or amendments. Although an annual review is the minimum requirement it is often the case that updates are done more frequently. It was also the best part of building a new SMS, I got to go on all the vessels and the tours many times to learn exactly how things are done on board and involve the crew in how it was documented. Records of consultation and amendment are part of the administration of a live SMS and a database of consultation as well as published amendments has been established. 14
How do you build and SMS that is relevant, dynamic and workable Whether your vessels are all located in one place or multiple locations there are efficiencies to be gained in standardising as many elements of the SMS as possible. The Owner, the authority statements and a number of procedures and standing orders are standard across the fleet. By making these sections the same in all SMS it has assisted with administrating reviews and updates and the crew are familiar with the structure of how sections are presented across all the vessel SMS s. Out of 9 SMS sections 4 are fleet wide and a number of sections are standardised for particular operations Ferry Services, Beach tours, Reef tours. Where vessels cover more than 1 type of operation the sections are divided such as section 5 Emergency response all vessels, 5a for Ferry specific or Reef, or beach tour. Crew are also able to easily identify the sections of the SMS that are specific to a particular vessel rather than be faced will a full volume to work through to find vessel or operational specific information. There is efficiency and familiarity of the SMS across the fleet as it has the same structure and layout. 15
Different crew roles require a different depth of knowledge and understanding of the SMS. For example all crew including supernumerary crew need to be familiar with the emergency response section. But a cruise attendant would not be required to have detailed knowledge of the engineering and maintenance systems. We developed Guidance on crew roles and what sections of the SMS they need to be understand. It has encouraged interest in reading and applying the information, therefore encouraging compliance. 16
How do you assess compliance First step was a desktop audit of the SMS against Part E. From here we looked at how each part of the SMS can be audited onboard the vessel. This, combined with observation, discussion and questioning. The outcomes of the audit were addressed in line with standard QMS audit methodology. The onboard audits provide an excellent opportunity for continuous improvement, identified training and skill gaps and clearly showed that a safety culture is practiced across the fleet. 17
What are the benefits The benefits of a SMS are many. It provides a framework under the National Law and links shore support to on water operations. It provides documented safety requirements, formalises risk assessment and makes it relevant to operational crew It is an invaluable training tool for all Masters and crew It supports the Master in day to day operations by laying out procedural requirements It assists with performance management of crew through compliance with procedures It is a framework for audit and compliance It is a system that involves the crew in and how it is built, giving them ownership The SMS helped build on a commitment to safety culture as it is not only a system but a documented pathway to safety management that is relevant to the crew an presented in their own language. 18
Integrated Safety Management Systems Safety Management Systems are also a requirement of work health and safety legislation. CWS also has an SMS for shore support (engineering, workshop and maintenance) and a port based SMS for the Port of Airlie and the fuel farm. With several safety management systems working across the company and all involving interaction with the vessels an Integrated Safety Management System has been developed that ties the all the company SMS together and clearly outlines the responsible persons across the sectors of the business. 19
Technology This symposium is all about emerging technologies. How does technology fit in with Safety Management. How inductions, drills, qualifications, training records, maintenance programs, ships log all recorded? What format does the SMS take, how do crew access it? The answer to these questions will vary from company to company. There is a lot of variation when it comes to both vessel technology and communication technology. From sophisticated harmonsised management systems such as Svitzer uses to simple databases and paper based records. CWS is working towards greater use of technology to make documents more accessible to crew while maintaining document security. The issue of reliable internet is one of the technological areas to overcome and in the interim they are undergoing trials for remote systems that allow data to upload when in range. A number of the systems require custom made platforms, so market research across the bigger company is underway. In the interim, paper based and carbon systems still prevail. 20
The use of technology is certainly a sound control for a number of risks onboard, and as offshore electronic and communications platforms become more accessible and cost effective, the DCV fleet will continue to embrace it. It reduces administration costs and the errors of manual recording. We aimed to build a SMS that is dynamic and efficient so we can get on with the job of operating the vessels safely and economically. 21
Thank you for your time and interest 22