Safe navigation and vessel operation
Basic Watchstanding for Fishing Crews
A low cost curriculum was developed to improve fishing crew competency in vessel operation, which will reduce the risk of accidents.
Principal Investigator
Jake Beattie, Northwest Maritime Center
Project
Inexperience and fatigue are implicated in numerous maritime incidents. Captains of small fishing vessels often must trust unqualified crew members to stand watch or forgo sleeping and stand watch themselves. Further, many captains develop their skills informally and crews often lack a solid understanding of navigation, collision avoidance, and even when to ask for help. Working with fishing vessel owners and WSG, the Northwest Maritime Center developed short training programs to better prepare fishing crews to operate vessels safely. Recordings of live training simulations made it possible to provide training to other programs at low cost.