The tanker industry accepts that most accidents are the result of human error, yet has historically responded to major oil spills by improving vessel design.
Now International Maritime Organization (IMO), London, is looking for ways to reduce human error and so cut the number of oil spills.
An IMO official told OGJ, "It's a cliche that 80% of spills are caused by human error. If this is the case, then we have got to stop errors occurring."
Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd., London, reports that the first legislation to cut human error becomes effective July 1, 1998, and earlier within the European Union.
Then an International Safety Marine (ISM) code and a tightened Standard of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) convention take effect.
The ISM code will set out general principles and objectives for a safety management system that must be established in every shipping company.
New legislation
"The introduction of the amended STCW convention, the ISM code, and other mandatory requirements promise to have a profound effect upon the training of seafarers and upon acceptable standards of competence," said Drewry.
IMO's U.K. delegation is pushing strongly for new tanker legislation based on safety case laws adopted by the offshore oil and gas industry. The IMO official said other delegations are coming around to this view.
Each U.K. offshore installation must have an approved safety case plan, based on detailed risk analysis. This is seen to have helped reduce the chances of accidents (OGJ, Feb. 14, 1994, p. 25).
The official said further new rules for tankers are likely to be introduced piecemeal, as alterations to existing Safety Of Life At Sea (Solas) and marine pollution (Marpol) legislation.
Drewry said tanker industry regulators generally agree that marine pollution regulations, including rules for building, maintenance, and operation of ships, are adequate: "The problem is now seen to be that application of standards is not adequate or consistent."
Key questions
The IMO official said further anticipated legislation to help cut down human error will not be possible without analysis of the complex issue of why people make mistakes.
"We will need to ask, what is fatigue and how does it happen?" the official asked. "For instance, many accidents happen in the early hours of the morning; what can be done to prevent this?"
IMO believes targeting human error may lead initially to extra costs for tanker operators, but a reduction in mistakes could lead to lower overall costs through fewer spills.
"The traditional attitude in shipping industry has always been to change hardware if there is a problem," said the official. "After Exxon Valdez hit the rocks, double hull legislation was introduced at a cost of millions of dollars per new tanker.
"But you have to ask, what do double hulls have to do with navigational errors? Where's the logic in this? The industry has got to look at what is causing most accidents, so now IMO is looking at the 'software'-people."
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