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Left: Joseph Kasprzycki III, third mate on the tanker Louisiana, recent SUNY graduate and new hire for Crowley, undergoes mariner assessment at STAR Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Core Value: HIGH PERFORMANCE Simulating Success: High Tech Mariner Assessment Program Tests Deck Officers Story by Jenifer Kimble Fighter pilots use them, so do surgeons and professional athletes, so why not put high-tech, virtual reality simulators and training in the hands of professional mariners? Why not indeed, and that s exactly what Crowley has done over the last five years, with the launch of its best-inclass navigation assessment program for deck officers. Developed by the company s marine development and compliance department, this program puts mariners in a computerized deck simulation where they manage a ship in both routine and unexpected circumstances. The exercises help Crowley s assessment team explore human reaction and behavior in the various aspects of watchstanding, such as bridge resource management, situational awareness, piloting, navigation, communications, compliance with standing orders, prioritization, and multi-tasking. This type of assessment helps us to ensure that our mariners are prepared to provide safe and efficient vessel navigation and operation that meets the high standards of the company and its customers, said Capt. Scott Craig, director, marine development and compliance. Story continued on page 4 This type of assessment helps us to ensure that our mariners are prepared to provide safe and efficient vessel navigation and operation that meets the high standards of the company and its customers. Connections Winter 2017 3
Simulators Benefit High Performance The simulation scenarios were developed to assess the competence of deck officers in keeping with company core values, the international Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) code, and U.S. regulations. The assessment results are used to identify individual training needs, document mariner proficiency, and identify fleet training program needs. The assessments are given during the officer s probationary period with the company, often prior to ever setting foot aboard a company-owned or managed vessel and then again every five years during employment. Additionally, any officer promoted to captain must also have completed a recent assessment. The multi-day training program takes place in one of four facilities contracted by Crowley around the U.S. These facilities, which vary in the amount and type of training they host for the company, include the STAR Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Pacific Maritime Institute in Seattle, and MITAGS and Piney Point, both in Maryland. While the technology and facilities are invaluable, the assessors play an integral part as well. They are veteran, licensed masters with experience in the field, and in the classroom in other words, they re qualified to walk the walk. The assessment program is important on several levels, said Bren Wade, manager, marine compliance. First, it gives us a good look at what our recruiting efforts provide; we assess new-hire, permanent deck officers. Second, it helps us identify skill gaps. Having this data allows Crowley to better focus our training dollars where they are most needed. Third, this is an ongoing process; our deck officers are learning that safe practices onboard translate into successful simulation assessments and successful simulation assessments come from solid, safe watch-standing practices. For me, the simulator assessment and training were extremely demanding, said Bill Spooner, third mate, Golden State. I had been working ashore for 25 years before returning to a seagoing career. So much had changed in terms of the technology available to the mariner and its use. Observing how these challenges are handled and then debriefing after the experience [simulator] is a powerful learning/ teaching tool. These lessons are what I will take back to the ship to attempt to implement in order to become a more capable mariner. Left: Bill Spooner, third mate on the tanker Golden State, considered the simulator training a powerful learning experience that would benefit him and his teammates when he returned to his ship. 4
...Our deck officers are learning that safe practices onboard translate into successful simulation assessments and successful simulation assessments come from solid, safe watchstanding practices. A FIRST-PERSON VIEW OF SIMULATOR ASSESSMENT The Assessment Itself Crowley s actual assessment is 40 minutes long and represents a voyage in near coastal waters. The participant is on an active watch and faces normal challenges including vessel traffic, currents, course changes, reduced visibility, and radio communication with other parties. It is not a nightmare watch fraught with unusual incidents or massive vessel traffic jams. The watch period is followed by a 20-minute debriefing discussion where the officer describes their thought process and decisions. This allows the reviewer to differentiate between a simple mistake and a fundamental lack of knowledge. It also allows the officer, who often immediately realizes a mistake, to express the correct action they should have taken, leading to a positive learning experience with no further retraining required. Conversely, when the debrief discussion uncovers a fundamental lack of knowledge or a skill gap, the assessor can explore possible reasons for, and degree of, the deficiency. Any officers who demonstrate serious skill gaps are placed in a Needs Further Review category by the assessor to Story by: Art Davis, Chief Mate MT Texas (pictured) On Sept. 19 and 20, 2016, I had the pleasure of completing my NAV assessment at STAR Center in Dania Beach, Fla. On the first day, I honestly didn t know what to expect. I walked into the classroom nervous. Once the instructor and Capt. Bren Wade introduced themselves and the program, I felt more at ease with the assessment. They talked about what we were going to be assessed on and what was expected of us on the bridge. Then we were introduced to the chart (area for the assessment) and the ship we would be piloting. At all stages of the lecture, we were given ample opportunity to ask questions and get comfortable with the challenging assessment taking place the following day. I got the feeling that the instructors from STAR Center, and Capt. Wade had high expectations of our abilities, but they also believed we were all capable of passing. Once the lecture was completed, we were given a simulator orientation and our assessment time for the following day. We were then instructed to prepare our charts for the assessment and given the rest of the day to review them along with the Rules of the Road and our charts. During my orientation time in the simulator, they allowed me to test the maneuvering characteristics of the vessel and to learn where specific bridge equipment was located and how it worked. When I was done with my orientation I felt my confidence growing and I felt ready for the assessment the following day. On the day of the assessment, I was greeted by the STAR Center staff and Capt. Wade. They told me just to go in and have confidence in what I knew from my years in the maritime industry and that is exactly what I did on the simulator bridge. I am not able to give specifics, but I will say the simulation challenged me, but it was also fun and exciting. As Chief Mate I am not on the bridge for much inland piloting and I really enjoy the challenge. After the simulation was completed, I sat down for a debrief with the STAR Center staff member and Capt. Wade. They asked me how I felt the assessment went, and I gave them examples of where I would have changed my reaction to certain situations. Then they gave me their critique of my assessment told me how they thought I did. Lastly, I was shown my score sheet, then I was done. I am thankful Crowley tests its employees to make sure we all have a baseline knowledge of ship bridge operations. It makes me feel more confident in our bridge team that we have all been tested individually and passed. Story continued on page 6 Connections Winter 2017 5
allow a more thorough evaluation of the assessment s audio/visual recording and the performance history of the individual. This additional review is accomplished by a panel including Crowley s full assessment team, the assigned port captain, and the labor relations team who then decides on next steps. Ultimately, Crowley s business units decide whether to pass on a candidate, or proceed with the training necessary to perform to Crowley s standards. Because the group that administers this training and assessment program is not embedded into any business unit, they give us a fair recommendation of a mariner and any additional training they see required in order for the mariner to be a safe, reliable member of Crowley s crew, said Mike Golonka, vice president, government services. Their recommendations are uninhibited by time constraints, sailing schedules and the like and represent an unbiased view for those of us in the business unit to consider when deciding whether or not the crewmember would fit our company s safety culture. It really is a great program that is setting an industry standard. The End Game The objective of the training and assessments is to close skill deficiencies, not to eliminate any employees explains Craig. Marine operating companies commit too many years and dollars to developing a deck officer just to lose their services. Our experience is that less than one percent of the officers assessed could not successfully complete the program after retraining and reassessment. And while there are obvious benefits to Crowley and its customers, the mariners see positive implications of it as well. Overall, I think the two-day program was a good example of the strategic partnership between our [union] collective bargaining representation and Crowley, working together to ensure we are providing the most skilled and professional deck officers in the industry, said Capt. Mike Santini, Sea Reliance/550-1. This assessment was certainly an eye-opening experience for me. It really gave me the ability to step back and look at my skill set and see the areas where I needed improvement and where I had a firm grasp of things, said Third Mate Nate Morrison, Legacy/750-1. Altogether, I believe this was a very beneficial experience and has given me some key points of my abilities to focus on in the future. For these reasons, Crowley shares the valuable lessons learned from this program with the industry, training institutions, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The company believes the use of these modern marine simulators to be an effective management tool for verifying that deck officers have the full range of skills necessary to be effective watchstanders. They also believe that through their use, they can costeffectively identify and reduce the risk of serious marine incidents keeping the company on track as it navigates its Road to Zero - zero harm to people, property and the environment.? Learn more about... Crowley s seagoing job opportunities by visiting crowley.com/seagoing One of the MITAGS-PMI navigation assessment control decks, which Crowley deck officers use to test their skills. 6