STANDARDS OF CARE:SMALL PASSENGER VESSEL CONSIDERATIONS

摘要

Small passenger vessels provide a vital and safe service. At the same time, passengervessel operations are a high stakes game, and when things go wrong, they can gowrong big time - costing lives, damaging equipment, threatening the environment andgarnering national media attention that may lead to regulatory solutions.Standards of Care developed for specific passenger vessel operations are a valuabletool to prevent the big time problems. Standards of Care that are thoughtfullydeveloped, presented to employees, and regularly enforced and audited, ensure a dailypractice of excellent safe marine operations. A company specific standard of care willhelp ensure that every crew operates each vessel in a consistently safe manner. Withoutthe standards, each crew may deviate in an every widening path from the “right way”Standards of Care can be regulatory, regional, or specific to a single company or vessel.Company specific standards may be the most important to employees. They clearlyoutline training requirements, bridge resource management procedures,communications, hazardous conditions, emergency response procedures, andnumerous other areas to promote consistently safe efficient operations.This paper discusses the value and potential content for development of Standards ofCare for small passenger vessel operators.