Fatigue is a hazard because it may affect a seafarer's ability to do their job effectively and safely. Effectively dealing with fatigue in the marine environment requires a comprehensive and holistic approach that recognizes ship design, and the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders in the mitigation and management of fatigue.
In June 2001, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) developed and approved the Guidance on fatigue mitigation and management (MSC/Circ.1014) to assist all stakeholders better understand their roles and responsibilities in mitigating and managing the risk of fatigue. The Guidelines provide information on the causes and consequences of fatigue, and the risks it poses to the safety and health of seafarers, operational safety, security and protection of the marine environment.
Over last three sessions, the HTW Sub-Committee has been working on the review of MSC/Circ.1014. At this HTW 5 session, the Working Group finalized the new draft MSC circular on Guidelines on fatigue, as set out in the annex. This new draft MSC circular is now forwarded to the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) for approval during their next meeting in December 2018.
The new Guidelines are composed of six modules and two annexes, each module addressing a particular stakeholder group within the maritime industry. The modules are as follows:
- Module 1 Fatigue
- Module 2 Fatigue and the company
- Module 3 Fatigue and the seafarer
- Module 4 Fatigue, awareness and training
- Module 5 Fatigue and ship design
- Module 6 Fatigue, the Administration and port State Authorities
- Appendix 1 Examples of sleep and fatigue monitoring tools
- Appendix 2 Example of a fatigue event report information
We believe this important task carried out together with all member states shows constant support and commitment by all stakeholders towards improving seafarers health and safety.
