Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait
- Great Barrier Reef pilotage fatigue risk assessment
- Fatigue study on coastal pilots
- Information for Interest
- Restricted access
Great Barrier Reef pilotage fatigue risk assessment
The following introduction is an extract from the document linked above:
Introduction
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is a Commonwealth Government
Authority charged, amongst other things, with responsibility for the regulation
of coastal pilotage. AMSA’s charter is to enhance efficiency in the
delivery of safety and other services to the Australian maritime industry.
AMSA was created on 1 January 1991 under the Australian Maritime
Safety Authority Act 1990 (Commonwealth) to supersede the former Marine Operations
Division of the Department of Transport and Communications. The function
of regulating coastal pilotage was transferred from the Marine Board of
Queensland to AMSA as of 1 July 1993.
Two sections of the Great Barrier Reef are defined as areas of compulsory
pilotage, namely the Inner Route and Hydrographers’ Passage. In addition,
the Great North East Channel is an area of recommended pilotage (IMO Resolution
1991). The longest of these is the Inner Route, which takes around 40 hours
to navigate. During this time, the pilot spends the majority of his time
on the bridge, therefore there is the potential for fatigue to impact on
their performance. Following a recent grounding incident, AMSA commissioned
the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to under take a detailed assessment
of the fatigue aspects of the pilot’s work.
The QUT report (Ref. 1) made a number of recommendations in relation to
better management of pilot fatigue. These recommendations were extensive.
Therefore, prior to their implementation, AMSA decided to carry out a risk
assessment with a view to establishing whether the magnitude of the risk
justified the expenditure required to implement the recommendations. DNV
was commissioned to undertake the risk assessment and this document summarises
the findings.
last updated: September 2005