Situational awareness preparation in maritime navigational watch handover

Abstract

This master's thesis explores navigators' time allocation and routines for preparation for establishing situational awareness before taking watch duties on ships. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews, the study investigates six navigators' practices through one-to-one interviews. The focus is on their preparation time to establish situational awareness before watch, assessment of time aspects and factors involved in night vision, as well as the use of checklists during watch handovers. The empirical findings were then compared with the study’s relevant theoretical framework.

The main findings of the study reveal variations both in time and routines in how navigators prepare for their watch duties, suggesting potential for improvement in optimizing time allocation to achieve better and faster situational awareness. The study also suggests a lack of knowledge regarding time factors related to night vision and situational awareness among navigators. Furthermore, the study uncovers considerable variations in the use of standardized checklists and highlights their practical ineffectiveness for navigators.

This study opens a new research area focusing on the time window from when the navigator arrives on the bridge until they take over watch duties. The study highlights a need for further research to better understand navigators' practices and needs related to establishing situational awareness before assuming watch duties on ships. It also recommends increased focus on training, personal dark adaptation measuring, and awareness about night vision, as well as more frequently revision of the use and content of watch handover checklists to improve safety and efficiency establishment of situational awareness in maritime operations.