Hong Kong: The Swedish Club Academy focuses on China during a five-day maritime resource management (MRM) roadshow at the end of March. MRM training aims at establishing safe operational cultures where teamwork and effective communication are key components, even to the extent of encouraging crew members to challenge decisions made by their masters and superiors.

“People with high rank can make mistakes too, and when they do the team members who detect it must be assertive enough to voice their concerns,” said Martin Hernqvist, managing director of The Swedish Club Academy. “We consider the lack of challenges in such situations to be one of the most significant contributing factors in maritime accidents. A key component of safe teamwork and good decision-making is that everyone in a team feels free to question decisions and actions made by other team members, including people with higher rank.”

Hernqvist cited the 2007 collision of Cosco Busan with the San Francisco Bay Bridge as an example of an accident in which the lack of assertiveness and challenges played a role. The Cosco Busan had a Chinese bridge team and the pilot was American. “Respectfulness towards others is an appreciated characteristic, however if this silences people when mistakes or poor decisions are being made on board a ship, then we have a big problem,” said Hernqvist.

The MRM roadshow will commence in Hong Kong on March 25 with seminars the following days in Xiamen, Shanghai, and Qingdao, and will conclude in Tianjin on March 29.

Source from SinoShip