The capsizing of a modern passenger vessel 'Costa Concordia' early this year is an indication that human errors will continue to plague the seas despite technological advancements in world-wide maritime sector, experts agreed on Thursday. Bahria University's National Centre for Maritime Policy Research (NCMPR) organised a seminar at its Karachi campus to mark the World Maritime Day with a theme focussing on maritime safety after 100 years of the Titanic tragedy.
Stressing the need for better human training for those steering the ships and manning key crew and passengers facilities during their voyages, speakers agreed that human errors were behind most shipping disasters even in modern times. Captain S Hashim Hasnain cited the example of a seven-star passenger ship called 'Costa Concordia' which was built at a cost of $600 million, which overturned on January 13 this year, exactly a hundred years after the sinking of Titanic.
He pointed out that the ship's skipper, trapped by his own ambitions, deviated from the original navigational route and steered the vessel close to the shorelines in a bid to make a public display but was unaware of undersea rocks that scuttled it. Despite advancements in technology, he said that risks to safety at seas remained. He said human errors were likely to cause more maritime disasters in the future.
He cited the sinking of Titanic as an example which helped experts to make efforts to reduce shipping risks and said that Titanic had lacked key facilities for passengers and crewmembers which left everyone exposed to hostile sea and most of the people onboard perished. However, in modern times, such facilities were compulsory to safeguard onboard voyagers from casualties, he added.
Captain Hasnain also highlighted international conventions for the Safety of Life at Sea (Solas), which evolved rules for maritime safety since it first emerged in 1929. He said the convention was ratified by most maritime nations in 1936, 1948, 1960, and 1974, respectively. The conventions specified the speed for ships, minimum radio communication standards, crew training standards and minimum facilities for onboard passengers to secure their lives during accidents, he said.
He pointed out that the maritime safety had improved significantly world-wide since the Titanic accident on April 15, 1912 and other historic shipping disasters. He said the modern shipping sector innovated navigational technologies to guide vessels with GPS technology and radar, helicopter pads and other safety facilities.
He held weak communication links and human error behind the sinking of Titanic and said that a lack of basic rescue facilities caused deaths of 1,513 passengers. He also quoted an example of human error which left a ship known as 'The Herald of Free Enterprise', which overturned on March 6, 1987. The ship was carrying motor vehicles, cargo and passengers.
The findings suggested the ship's management, which was responsible for the vessel's affairs, had forgotten to close down the ship's bridge (gates) through which seawater flooded its holds and jolted its balance. As a result, all passengers perished, he added.
Captain Hasnain suggested a number of recommendations to minimise accidents at seas which include: better training to crew members, regulations in shipping sector, advancements in navigational technologies, review of sea-related incidents, and introduction of safety culture at every level.
He also identified key risks to ships security at seas. He said complacency was most hazardous. Other factors were: human errors, piracy, competition among shipping companies, non-standardised training and crew fatigue. Research Officer at NCMPR, Naghmana Zafar spoke on the plight of fishermen and risks to their lives and livelihoods at sea. She cited statistics compiled by International Labour Organization, which suggested that at least 24,000 fishermen were killed every year in fishing-related incidents.
She said fishermen worked in a hostile environment with poor facilities in boats. He said 36 million people were linked with the global fishing sector, of which 15,000 worked in fishing vessels. She said Pakistan may be called a maritime nation, but safety of seafarers remained inadequate. She said the country had a poor early warning system to inform seagoing vessels about weather changes such as cyclones. She pointed out that about 15,000 small and large fishing boats operated from Gwadar to Sir Creek.
Expressing disappointment over the dismal ratio of seafood export, she said that a huge amount of catch was mainly used for fish meal. She also suggested scores of steps to solve the fishermen problems and reduce accidents at seas. She said the stakeholders should sit together to solve the key issues. Chairman of Marine Group of Companies Captain Haleem A. Siddiqui was the chief guest at the seminar.
He said Pakistan hardly earned $50-$60 million a year from seafarers' remittances, which was too low when compared with the foreign exchange earnings of other countries, including China, India and the Philippines. Director-General NCMPR Vice-Admiral HI (M) (Retd) Asaf Humayun thanked the speakers.