In an individual’s life, judgment and decision-making are associated with acts inherent to human life. In complex systems such as vessels, platforms, and Maritime Units, these acts have a predominant role in the operational safety of these maritime units.
For this, the HB theory (Kenneth et al., 2019) emphasizes the need to know the nature of the environment in which it will apply before starting basic research. Psychological factors applied in HB are a source of support for these studies, for this social judgment is necessary for better understanding.
The International Maritime Contractors Association – IMCA considers that an event occurs because of a primary failure followed by a Secondary failure in an unwanted event involving the DP operations. When IMCA performs analysis using your global database, they select ten categories to classify the cause:
- Human: Categories related to the human behavior of the Dynamic Positioning Operator – DPO.
- Computer: Categories that encompass the software that performs the mathematical. Model or the hardware where the control center of the DP system is located.
- Thruster/ propulsion: Category that analyzes the failures in the lateral or main thrusters, which may also be azimuthal.
- Power Grid: Failures related to power generation and associated with the electrical balance of the vessel during DP operations.
- Electrical: Failures related to high and medium-voltage electrical systems that power the side, central, or azimuth thrusters of dynamic positioning.
- External Factors: Failures related to factors external to the Vessel and concern the Maritime Unit that connected or issued systems operating.
- References: Failure in the main reference systems (satellite positioning, DGNSS) or the secondary reference systems, which use acoustic, laser, or telemetry systems.
- Environmental: These faults are related to the environmental conditions of the place where the DP systems are operating and concern sea, wind, wave, swell, and marine currents.
- Mechanical: Failures related to the vessel’s mechanical systems related to the DP, such as cooling systems, pipeline networks, cooling pumps, lubrication, or fuels that fail during operation.
- Sensors: Failures related to the sensors that monitor the DP system’s inputs, among them wind, which, due to its importance, has double or triple redundancy because it interferes directly with the mathematical model that the DP system uses.
Throughout history, one of the primary categories in dynamic positioning operations (DPO) has been the Human Factor, which pertains to human behavior. The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) classifies these failures into four characteristics for the DP event reporting process. This is referred to as the ‘secondary cause’ and is “the trigger that compromises the redundancy concept of the DP system, taking into account the system, subsystem, environmental, external, or human factors.” In 2021, the highest trigger was attributed to ‘human’ factors, and the third in 2022. However, a comprehensive understanding of human factors can be further analyzed and classified into four areas:
- Sensory: Errors caused by difficulty distinguishing functions, controls, colors, and labeling.
- Memory: Errors caused by forgetting to select or set.
- Decision: Errors where a clear decision is made to operate in a particular way.
- Action: Errors where a function or control is selected incorrectly.
It’s concerning to note that approximately 74% of dynamic positioning (DP) incidents are attributed to human factors. The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has highlighted Decision and Action as the main factors responsible for these incidents. Upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that the lack of practical decision-making support tools available to the DP Operator (DPO) has played a significant role in these unfortunate events. These tools must be easily accessible, regularly updated, easy to understand, well-written, clear, and directly applicable. Additionally, it’s understandable that the failure to take action could be due to the decision-making support tools needing to be addressed or utilized.
Understanding cognitive feedback is essential in human behavior because it guides how systems can evolve. It’s important to recognize that feedback arises from the input of the result, influencing the anticipation of success or failure. Understandably, individuals may find it challenging to accurately grasp the zone of ambiguity in their judgment systems, which can affect the effectiveness of the feedback. Situational Awareness (SA) directly impacts this concept, and it’s essential to acknowledge its significance. The term “Situational Awareness” originates from military aviation and has been recognized as a crucial tactical advantage in combat between pilots. It involves perceiving elements in the environment within a specific time and space, which can be overwhelming.
