February 2016 Issue no. 11 NTHE vigator Inspiring professionalism in marine navigators FREE Building on competence Developing strengths and skills NSTITU I T L E A Y O A free publication by The Nautical Institute in association O F R N A N with the Royal Institute of Navigation V O I G A T I David Patraiko FNI NAV Director of Projects, The Nautical Institute Comments on competence You’ve worked hard, studied for years, sense of responsibility beyond obeying to the next level. Some ship owners/ completed the required sea time experience what is laid out for them. Competence is managers define extra competencies related and are now the proud owner of a brand characterised by active decision-making to their business, for example specialist new Certificate of Competency (CoC). when choosing a course of action. operations or commercial knowledge. The Issued by your Flag State, this tells the world Proficiency is shown when an individual IMO is concerned with safety, security and that you are ‘competent’ to be a Third Mate, develops intuition to guide their decisions environmental protection; the ship owner Second Mate, Chief Mate, or even Master of and devise their own rules. So, progression must try to be profitable too. a merchant ship – well done! moves from rigid adherence to rules to a In this issue of The Navigator we aim to However, do you really feel like an more intuitive mode of reasoning, based on show you how to ‘build on competence’ expert? If you’re like most people, you will accumulated knowledge. and further your knowledge. We will reveal be very proud of your achievement, but In the maritime world, the IMO has tips for demonstrating your own skills and also aware that there is much more to learn identified the ‘competencies’ of a identifying those of other people. before you feel fully confident in your new navigating officer, describing them in the At The Nautical Institute, we are post. It probably took a few years in your STCW Convention and Code. Maritime delighted by the high level of support and previous role before you felt able to relax schools teach these subjects and the flag praise that The Navigator is receiving, not and trust your abilities and judgement. states then assess if you, as a student, are to mention the number of navigational So why is this, when you’ve passed your truly ‘competent’ in these areas. This fulfils officers contacting us for further learning exams and been certified as competent? their legal requirements, but should not be opportunities. We’ve set up a separate A popular theory (the Dreyfus & Dreyfus your end goal as a professional navigator. area of our website for those inspired to model of skill acquisition) suggests that a Many ship owners ask for more than just learn more. Please visit our blog at student passes through five distinct stages: the IMO-defined minimum competencies www.nautinst.org/navinspire for regular novice, competence, proficiency, expertise, in their deck officers. Instead, they require updates and new material related to issues and mastery. In the novice stage, a person them to display greater proficiency above raised in this publication. Tell your friends follows rules as given, without context or and beyond this, before they are promoted too; there’s plenty of learning to go about! A Nautical Institute Inside this issue project sponsored by 03 ALL AT SEA 06 – 07 PERFORMANCE 08 WATCH OUT his knowledge and skills, both Contributions from readers of REVIEW Accident report: A collision ashore and at sea The Navigator Gilbert Maturan, Global involving two ships revealed 10 WAY POINT Training Manager at worrying gaps in 04 – 05 PLAN AHEAD Teekay, explains competency Dr Andy Norris discusses the NI Training and Quality Manager, how analysing importance of building on Theresa Nelson shows how performance 09 WHO’S competencies, especially when simple planning can have a places the NAVIGATING? it comes to technology at sea great effect on developing Navigational officer emphasis firmly on 11 TOP TEN professional competency developing existing Kyle Macleod Ten key things to remember throughout your career competencies reveals how he keeps on top of developing about building on competency 202 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7LQ, UK Editorial committee: Published by Tel:+44 (0)20 7928 1351 Fax:+44 (0)20 7401 2817 Editor Emma Ward The Nautical Institute [email protected] www.nautinst.org Design Phil McAllister The Navigator (Print) – ISSN 2058-6043 For The Nautical Institute The Navigator (Online) – ISSN 2058-6051 INSTITU L T A E With support from: 1 Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AT, UK Bridget Hogan, Lucy Budd, Y O Printed in the UK by O F R Tel: +44 (0)20 7591 3134 Fax: +44 (0)20 7591 3131 David Patraiko FNI, Theresa Nelson MNI N Frontier Digital Innovation Ltd., A N V O www.rin.org.uk I G A T I For the RIN Dr Andy Norris FRIN FNI Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire NSTITU I T L E A Y O O F R N A N V O I G A T I NSTITU I T L E A Y O O F R N A N V O I G A TAreI you inspired? #NavInspire Visit The Navigator blog at www.nautinst.org/navinspire 2 | The Navigator | February 2016 All sea Emma Ward If you would like to get in touch with us, please contact the editor, Emma Ward Good day! I’m a deck cadet at [email protected], or look out onboard the vessel MOL Growth. for the LinkedIn discussion. We look Today, we received a distress message that four yachtsmen forward to hearing from you. capsized on a boat near Sepetiba, Brazil. All four were saved by our crew. This was very good practice for a young cadet. So good luck, and don’t forget, safety first! Dmitry Marushchak, Deck Cadet The most important aids to navigation of all! I am a Master, currently serving onboard the Ethiopian Flag general cargo comments in The ship, M/V Assosa. I was happy to read the Navigator. They are just like mentors issue about CPD. It is a lifelong learning for us; in a simple way, their ideas can process, which makes us a fully-fledged change our perceptions. professional and, above all, human. Joseph Inding Jr, Second Officer Get the app Captain Sileshi Siyoum, Master I’m presently serving as Chief Officer on I hope it is smooth sailing for everyone! MSC Joy, a Malta-flagged containership I’m a South African deck cadet, doing running in the Baltic and North Sea. I’ve Join the debate on LinkedIn my second sea phase on SS Gemmata, read every issue of The Navigator since I http://www.linkedin.com/groups/ a Singapore-flagged LNG carrier. It was was a Third Officer. Nautical-Institute-1107227 always my dream to sail on tankers. The Being a seafarer is a tough job, taking Navigator has been helpful throughout my our time and a lot of nerve, but giving us Follow us on Twitter cadetship. Thanks to technology, I have something special instead, that cannot https://twitter.com/NauticalInst caught up with all the issues since October be put into words. Good seamanship 2012 via the mobile app. To all seafarers is something that is always upgrading We are active on Facebook out there, I suggest you get yourself the and developing. Sharing this knowledge https://www.facebook.com/ app and get up to speed before the hard among my colleagues and shipmates is thenauticalinstitute copy even gets onboard ship. important to me. It makes us closer; it Bonga Brian Xhakaza, Deck Cadet makes us a crew! Watch our videos on You Tube Denis Artyushin, Chief Officer http://www.youtube.com/ I am a trainee Third Officer onboard LNG Clean Ocean. The Navigator is very I’m Third Mate on board the VLCC TheNauticalInstitute informative reading. All crew members Watban, a 300,361 DWT tanker, 340 mtrs You can read a digital version of The onboard my vessel wait in line to read long and 56 mtrs wide. The remarkable each new edition with great pleasure. All thing about being on a VLCC is when you Navigator, or download it in PDF format at topics are always discussed and feedback realise the value of the cargo you carry http://www.nautinst.org/publications shared. Great job! on a routine voyage. Let’s see: we’re Andrei Romanenko, Third Officer carrying 298,258 MT (95% load), which is 2,104,246 barrels of crude oil. Multiply by Professional development is a very $45 per barrel equals about $94.7 million. inspiring topic for me. Reading about That adds even more responsibility during it was like an eye-opener for seafarers. navigation and cargo operations! There are many doors open to us, not just High standards of safety and good at sea but also onshore. I keep myself seamanship practices are the only things motivated while onboard by learning which help to avoid big environmental as fast as I can, because whatever damage, economic loss – and most We welcome your news, comments and opinions on the topics success we achieve onboard will become important, help to bring seafarers home covered in The Navigator. We reserve the right to edit letters for space reasons if necessary. Views expressed by letter contributors our tools, or passport, when working safe to their loved ones. do not necessarily reflect those held by The Nautical Institute onshore. I salute navigators sharing their Max Khromov, Third Officer February 2016 | The Navigator | 3 Competence: Planning ahead You are a young, junior officer.