Non-technical communication factors at the Vessel Traffic Services

Abstract

This study done at the Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) explored how the VTS operators (VTSOs) communicated with ships and other actors in the maritime sociotechnical system and how decisions were made with regard to assisting traffic in maintaining safe passage in port areas, where most vessel movements are seen and accidents occur. The fieldwork was done during four independent visits to a VTS centre under the Swedish Maritime Authority, with a total sample of six VTSOs and one VTS instructor. The qualitative data were sorted and coded using a grounded theory approach. The data pointed at non-technical information processing and communication factors that play a role in decision-making and ultimately in safety. During protocol operations at the VTS, these factors influenced how VTSOs judged the skills of the vessels' bridge teams, and how they approached them. This is a time where much effort is being put into upgrading technological systems, and these will have the power to change the ways in which the maritime network obtains and processes information, as well as how they can communicate with each other. The further development of technological systems, work protocols and training programmes can benefit from taking the soft aspects of communication and the needs of the operators and their tasks into account for the enhancement of safety.

Location Optimization of VTS Radar Stations Considering Environmental Occlusion and Radar Attenuation

“…Even if the operators of a single VTS perform admirably, a single VTS system is insufficient to produce a high-level supervision effect throughout the entire sea region. As a result, a collaboration between operators in different VTS or between operators and captains must be explored [16,17]. Additionally, as vessel traffic flow increases, VTS operators will be required to conduct increasingly sophisticated and frequent operations to ensure maritime safety.…”

Analysis of Operational Communication Through Structural Equation Modeling

“…It is very important to emphasize that oral communication on the shop floor does not only happen in a face-to-face format, oral communication is also carried out through ICT, as smartphones, radio communicators, explanatory audios in messaging applications, among others, are considered oral means of communication. Therefore, in an analysis of operational communication, it is important to verify the existence of communication between operator and supervisor [67][68][69][70], communication between operators [71], openness for discussion on complex issues [39,66,67,72], openness by the organization to accept suggestions [73], and discussion of information already written [74,75].…”

“…Oral communication influences the worker's interaction with information and communication technology through instructions on the system's functionality in interactions with another operator and with the supervisor, through the support of the IT team, through the discussions of written messages inserted in another shift, and through the use of telephone sets and radio communicators [10,37,71,75,79]. Thus, hypothesis H 9 was proposed.…”

“Are You Planning to Follow Your Route?” The Effect of Route Exchange on Decision Making, Trust, and Safety

“…Another critical aspect of navigational safety is related to the quality of communication between vessels, which today is primarily VHF radio [26,64]. S2SREX/RDV functionality introduces an additional means of indirect communication via information sharing through broadcasted routes.…”