Despite the advances in integrated bridge system (IBS) design and technology, the training and understanding of the crews using it remains as the major flaw affecting its use. This has become a major preoccupation of the Nautical Institute which is campaigning for rules to be introduced that will encourage manufacturers to increase their commitment to training. David Patraiko, the institute's project manager, has become increasingly conscious of the problems being caused by lack of crew knowledge and is at the forefront of a campaign working to remedy the situation. Explaining the problem to Safety at Sea International, Patraiko admitted that the provision of adequate training for IBS is a complicated problem, yet it remains one that must be addressed. "I don't think there's an easy answer," he said and explained that the principal weakness lies with the industry's dependence upon the 'cascade' training method.
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