Invitation to break with maritime traditions

Dutch shipping companies Wagenborg Shipping, Flinter Management and Amasus Shipping will investigate the social, legal and technical possibilities of shore support for short sea ships. This will improve ships? safety and stimulate flexible manning opportunities. International parties are invited to take part in this unique initiative.

When a ship leaves a port, she is on her own until the next port of call. This has been the case for many centuries and still holds true today. The international regulatory framework, including the manning and training standards, are build around this principal. The team of nautical and technical trained officers and crew, must be capable to react on the circumstances they encounter. Now one else is able to help them when the nearest land is thousands of miles away.

This self supporting principal however, is reaching it?s limits. Engines are becoming more complex, and at the same time, more reliable. As a consequence, ship?s engineers gain less experience with breakdowns and are less capable to react effectively in an emergency situation. It also hampers the introduction of new technologies, such as all electric propulsion systems. Ship?s engineers cannot gain the in depth knowledge or the experience to these specialised systems. Combined with a growing worldwide shortage of qualified engineers, the shipping industry is confronted with a major problem.

A consortium of maritime partners within the Netherlands investigated these developments and now take up the challenge to look for innovative solutions. The traditional manning principles needs to be seen from a different angle. A ship is part of a logistic chain and can be managed accordingly. Especially coastal ships can rely on shore support. This needs however a fundamental change of view from both the shipping industry and the international regulating institutes. The traditional job design needs to be modified to an integrated management approach from the shore. Reliance on third parties for critical onboard systems, places the shipping industry with a number of questions.

The project, which will be managed by Holland Marine Equipment (HME), can be followed via www.shoresupport.eu. From next month on, you can find all relevant details, examples and results. The project will be interactive. Seafarers, students, shipowners, ship managers, unions, civil servants, marine suppliers or other interested parties that wish to contribute to the Shore Support project are welcome to respond via info@shoresupport.nl