Life at sea is inherently risky
Unless one is privileged to go to sea, the likelihood of understanding God-given power of the deep is very slim. The reason is simple. Those who ply the sea for commerce or for naval duties have one time or the other seen the works of their creator and His wonders in the deep. When the power of the sea is at the peak, ships ride on waves which are stormy and suddenly, the bravery, fortitude and discipline of most seamen disappear in their misery. Seamen stagger and tremble like drunken men, such that their wisdom at that moment would be useless. Drawing inspiration from Thomas Aquinas, “if the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever”. Whether the sea is rough or calm, seafarers must keep watch in machinery spaces and the enclosed bridge ensuring safety of lives, ships and the environment.
On 21 August 2017, a collision occurred between the 505ft-long USS Johns S McCain and the 600ft- oil and chemical tanker, the Alnic MC near Singapore. Though the oil tanker recorded no casualty, some sailors onboard the US Navy (USN) Alleigh Burke Class Destroyer, USS John S McCain were reported dead, according to reports.
It is the sea that connects all sailors together globally. That is why I take hold of this opportunity as an old sailor to express my heartfelt condolences and sympathies to families and friends of those sailors onboard the USS Fitzgerald and USS John McCain who lost their lives in the course of duty at sea. All seamen are not only navigators but merchants and soldiers who possess the courage to cross the ocean. No seaman would want his ship collide with another vessel at sea.
The collision of naval ships either in harbor or at sea is not without problems or strategic implications to any navy. To some naval analysts, taking two ships again out of operations of the US Seventh Fleet in the Pacific region has real tactical impact considering the role of the USN in global maritime security. But some naval strategists requested to know whether it is the increase in number of ships that matters most, when areas such as training, ship survivability, electronic warfare and other capabilities are perhaps, not given due consideration.
In order to ensure common safety standards globally, the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) is an international treaty nearly every nation of the world has signed to be part of. It sets out the “rules of the road” (ROR) of how ships should navigate in relation to one another. As a naval officer under training some thirty-five years ago, the minimum mark you must score in any ROR examination is 80 out of 100 marks. During ab-initio training, a fail in ROR twice signals your exit from a naval career. In fact, it is in one’s interest to know everything in ROR as some countries demand that sailors must have all the rules governing safety at sea at their fingertips.
It is at sea under varying climatic conditions and traffic situations that ones’ knowledge of ROR is subjected to test. Thus, all officers (merchant and navy) are compelled to know all aspects of the ROR, but implementation remains the key issue. Effective implementation of the ROR includes the following elements: comprehensive national laws, regulations, directives and policies; robust training programs and qualification standards for appropriate personnel; routine exercises of ships; mandatory reporting protocols of incidents; thorough post-incident investigatory procedures; and serious post-incident personnel accountability systems. It is not enough to have these laws, standards, protocols, procedures and systems “on the books”. Navigational safety however requires individual commanders and all other seafarersto remain forever vigilant to do all of them always. Otherwise, if indicted as a result of collision at sea, the penalty is grave.
When there is collision at sea, the experience is always devastating. The incidents that occurred to the US Navy ships could have happened to any naval ship of other nations. Life at sea is inherently risky and many of those risks can only be managed, not eliminated. It is the use of advance technology in navigation that has reduced the frequency of collisions and other safety incidents in very busy area like the Strait of Malacca and Singapore channel.
Definitely in reaction to any collision at seafor a naval or merchant ship, a number of questions would be asked in a Board of Inquiry (BOI). The questions are unending but accountability of one or several persons is necessary, if repetitions of such an incidence are to be avoided.Some of the questions that are likely to be asked may include but not limited to the following: Why was the ship involved in the incident? Is this purely coincidental or are there systemic problems that must be addressed? Has the ship gone through its mandatory refit/repair cycle? Was the repair thoroughly done and who certified it? Have budget constraints or an increased operational tempo contributedto the collision? Did information systems or steering systems malfunction? Are crew members receiving sufficient training on navigational safety? Was one or more of the incidents affected by some outside action, such as a cyber incursion into the network systems of the ships? These are all legitimate questions that are likely to be asked during investigations, and answers to these questions will say a lot about accountability in the organization.
What are the lessons learnt?A navy must improve its training standards, while all safety and damage control capabilities must be enhanced. Just aselectronic warfare capability must be improved in an era of cyberwarfare, there must be no logistics logjam with respect to docking and repair of ships, as well as supply and distribution of spare parts. Most importantly, it is not the number of ships, the quality of men behind the machine matter significantly.
MA Johnson