Question 1

The Master plans to take leave for an extended period during a quieter part of the season, leaving the Chief Officer in temporary command. What should the Master do to prepare for this handover?

Accepted Answer

Ensure the Chief Officer is briefed on any ongoing issues (maintenance items, crew matters, outstanding deficiencies, planned activities), confirm they have access to necessary documents/contacts, clarify the limits of their authority and when/how to contact the Master if needed, and formally record the handover of command in line with the SMS A proper command handover — briefing on open issues, clarifying authority/escalation, and documenting the change — ensures continuity and accountability, and is standard SMS practice even for temporary absences, not just permanent changes of Master.

Question 2

Gard's loss prevention guidance repeatedly highlights that many serious incidents follow a 'normalisation of deviance' — small departures from procedure that become accepted because nothing went wrong before. As Master, what's the most effective way to counter this on board?

Accepted Answer

Actively encourage crew to raise near-misses and procedural drift without fear of blame, and personally follow the same standards you expect of others Gard's guidance on human factors and safety culture identifies normalisation of deviance — where shortcuts that 'worked fine last time' quietly become the new normal — as a precursor to many serious casualties. The most effective defence is an open reporting culture for near-misses and minor deviations, combined with visible leadership from the Master, who sets the tone for what is and isn't acceptable on board.

Question 3

Gard's guidance on near-miss reporting notes that crew sometimes hesitate to report their own minor errors or close calls. As an OOW, why does Gard say this matters for the wider fleet, not just your own ship?

Accepted Answer

Near-miss data, shared and analysed across a fleet (and via schemes like CHIRP Maritime), helps identify recurring risks before they cause a serious incident elsewhere Gard's loss prevention work draws heavily on aggregated near-miss and incident data — including confidential schemes such as CHIRP Maritime — precisely because a near-miss on one vessel is often a warning sign for a hazard that exists across many similar ships. A culture where OOWs report close calls without fear of blame is one of the cheapest and most effective loss-prevention tools available.