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Safer, Smarter Seafarers.
Creating Safer, Smarter Seafarers
With the theme of the United Nation’s 2015 World Maritime Day being ‘Maritime Educa-
tion and Training’, we believe that it’s an appropriate time to take a fresh look at the
way maritime training is funded, created and delivered to the world’s seafarers.
Fidra films
Fidra Films was created to address the problem of seafarers having unequal or restricted
access to relevant, quality, effective ongoing training and the risk that this poses for all
seafarers, their employers, the ships they sail in, their passengers, cargo and the environ-
ment.
Our argument is that commercially produced training, where the primary incentive
is to return as great a profit as possible, does not work to the benefit of the indus-
try. If we assume relevance, quality and effectiveness as reasonable benchmarks
by which to judge training, commercially produced material will, at some point, fail all
three tests.
It will fail on relevancy because despite a requirement from the industry for a specific
training resource, it frequently won’t be made. There are many reasons for this: “We have
that in our catalogue already” (even if it is out of date), “Someone else just released a film
about that” (even if it isn’t effective) or “not enough people will buy it/it’s too niche” (pity
the poor seafarer that falls foul of the ‘niche’ incident...). Whatever the Account’s depart-
ments arguments are, if it doesn’t look like it will return the necessary profit, the idea will
end up languishing on a producer’s ‘To Do’ list.
The quality benchmark will be missed because put simply, it will be cheaply made. Using
film to change behaviour requires that the audience be engaged and entertained enough
that they are educated without realising that they have been. Our belief in the power of
film is outlined elsewhere, but a training film made down to a budget will in most cases
simply not work. It will likely be watched under duress and its message forgotten before
the audience have left the room.
The criteria of effectiveness is failed through a combination of the above. If it doesn’t get
made, or if it gets produced ‘on the cheap’, and then what does get produced only gets in
front of those seafarers whose employers are willing and able to pay for it, how can it be
effective for the industry?
We firmly believe that we can resolve this conflict of interest by working with the industry
to develop a new model.
Our proposal
Fidra Films are looking to work with the maritime industry to produce a series of training
programmes funded by the maritime industry, for the maritime industry. The result will be
freely distributed to seafarers and the maritime community regardless of the ability or de-
sire of the end user, or their employer, to pay.
Maritime organisations, ship owners and operators, colleges and educational establish-
ments and crucially the world’s seafarers themselves will all have free and unrestricted
access to the resources.
Our target is to engage with the industry on a long-term basis to develop a series of films
and other training resources funded from within the maritime industry, developed to work
alongside and support existing training materials and methods. We will work with the mar-
itime community to create a global conduit for the creation and delivery of education and
training and thereby improve maritime safety.
Ultimately, we aim to create and deliver a suite of training that by its very quality and
availability will be regarded as ‘standard’ throughout the industry.
To achieve our aims we are proposing a new model for funding the development of mari-
time training...
Create Relevant, Effective and High Quality train-
ing and make it freely available to all seafarers.
A new model
We can satisfy the relevance criteria by agreeing the requirement for a training resource
on a particular subject and assessing the most suitable method for presenting this to the
audience, regardless of its apparent commercial viability.
We will then calculate what this will realistically cost to produce to a quality-driven stand-
ard, then raise the required funding from within the industry. For each project, the budget
will be broken into a number of ‘blocks’ and maritime operators, insurers and organisa-
tions (the same bodies that will benefit from the outcome of raised training standards) will
be invited to ‘sponsor’ each block. It is envisaged that each ‘block’ would be worth £10 ~
£15K.
Finally, effectiveness for the industry will be realised by distributing the resultant training
freely to all seafarers, companies and organisations. Those organisations that put forward
funding will be generously credited in the film or resource itself, as well as in any support-
ing publicity.
Fidra Films will charge a one-off fee for its work on each project, clearly included in the
budget, but will not seek to sell or otherwise raise further revenue from it. Each production
will be solely aimed at achieving maximum training and educational benefit, not a recur-
ring profit for ourselves or any other entity.
We believe that the long-term return on investment for the industry will be considerable,
raising the standard of training and education throughout the world’s one million-plus sea-
farers. The amount invested by each stakeholding body will be recouped many times over
if each film prevents just a single marine casualty.
A new model will also provide the opportunity to develop and discuss subjects that may
be regarded as too ‘politically sensitive’ for a business intending to sell into the market—
the kind of training and educational material that less-responsible operators would not
consider supplying to their crews; a full discussion of seafarers rights under the MLC, for
example.
The important question will become “What training
is currently needed?”, replacing “Will this training
generate a rapid return on our investment?”
Using drama to change behaviour Film is a hugely powerful medium, with the power to entertain, inspire and educate the viewer. When used as an educational tool, it is particularly suited to subject areas where the audience is asked to consider an abstract concept like human behaviour. There is a caveat here though; for film to work it must be engaging. It has to be something that view-ers enjoy watching, with characters they believe in and can relate to and it must be some-thing they talk about and remember once they’ve watched it. And crucially in this connect-ed age, it has to be so good that they will share and discuss it with their friends and col-leagues. Creating successful drama involves bringing together a team of experienced script writers, technical advisers and educational specialists to develop the concept. The magic of cine-ma is then brought to life by a professional cast, crew and post -production team. This is how we entertain, educate and change the behaviour of our audience.
Imagine two scenarios: in the first, you prop a presenter up in front of a camera, or you
save even more money and employ a voiceover artist, asking them to read a potentially
very technical script which they have no particular interest in and they may not fully under-
stand. Support this with stock maritime footage that in some instances may be many years
old.
In scenario two, you take real seafarers, or actors plausibly filling the role, and use them to
deliver a story that is entertaining, engaging and ‘teaches’ the viewer without them having
to consciously ‘learn’.
Which of the two do you think stands the greatest chance of success?
None of us like to be ‘talked at’ or told what to do, especially by someone for whom we
have little or no empathy or professional respect. We learn best from those that we trust.
Using drama to tell a story visually is also be an effective way of tackling the potential lan-
guage and cultural barriers to learning.
The audience identify and empathise with the characters,
their actions and the lessons learnt by them. This allows
them to take away the learning and apply it in their own
lives.
How will the project be funded? As discussed in the section “A new model”, funding will be raised from the people who will benefit from the return: the maritime industry itself. We are looking for a number of enlightened maritime organisations, shipping companies and insurers to show their commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and to improving the safety of their industry by becoming stakeholders in the project.
A potential stakeholder might reasonably ask “what’s in it for us? We already invest money in quality training and education”. There is potentially a lot ‘in it’ for you! No matter how well trained your own officers and crew might be, if your tanker, bulker or mega-boxship is hit by a vessel whose operator either can’t, or won’t, give their crews effective training, your business will be left paying the price, both financial and repu-tational. Every time an incident occurs on a vessel, however minor, it presents a distrac-tion for the crew; a distraction that could potentially lead that vessel to cross paths with an innocent party. Better crew training is in everyone’s interests.
The immediate financial implications of an incident are costly enough, never mind the po-tential environmental and reputational damage. The Swedish Club reported in 2014 that the average cost of a collision was approx. 900,000 USD. The Costa Concordia lay on the rocks of Giglio for two years as a monument to the consequences of human error, despite being manned by an apparently well trained crew. Insurance won’t cover everything – pre-vention is better than cure. Further, by working to raise the standard of seafaring knowledge and understanding gen-erally the pool of suitably skilled mariners will grow, making recruitment less of a risky business. As many in the industry are all-too aware, not all Certificates are created equal. An added, if perhaps less important benefit to stakeholders and sponsors will be an au-ditable demonstration of their commitment to CSR, by association with a new and demo-cratic method of delivering MET where it counts: directly to the seafarer.
Training that is created and funded by the
maritime industry, for the maritime industry.
Accessible, effective training is in everyone’s
interest: reducing maritime casualties, seafar-
er injuries and fatalities, operating costs and
insurance premiums by creating Safer, Smart-
er Seafarers.
Delivery and distribution The film will be made freely available via the internet and optionally on DVD or other digital media. All seafarers will have free access to the resources, as well as companies and training es-tablishments who wish to include them in their training programmes. Those who support the project will be amply credited in the training content itself and in supporting publicity, and will be offered the option of a customised ‘branded’ edit. We en-visage making the film available from multiple sources giving all seafarers the ability to easily access and share it with their friends and colleagues, maximising its exposure and benefit. Seafarer supporting charities will also be invited to share and promote the re-sources.
Making quality training, targeted at high priori-
ty subjects put forward by industry experts,
freely available to all seafarers, reducing the
number of poorly trained crews.
Seafarers will be able to access the resources
without their employers having to make a
budget commitment.
Additional supporting resource materials (where applicable) will be made available online,
possibly via a mobile app in the future.
Fidra Films will actively seek to maximise opportunities for the distribution of all content.
How can you help? We are looking for a number of enlightened industry leaders to support this project. Whilst financial backing is a priority aim, we would also like to talk to those who may be in-terested in lending the project political support in the maritime community. The politics of the maritime industry run deep, and we can’t do this alone. Please get in touch (contact details are at the end of this document) if you are inter-
ested in supporting the project, or would simply like more information. Thank you.
“This incident needed just one member of the
crew at the incident scene to stand up and just
say ‘NO!’”
“The message about the dangers associated
with entering such spaces has apparently still
not permeated the human psyche.”
IoM Ship Registry report CA121, March 2015 “Sally
Ann C”
Two fatalities, one further serious injury.
We are working on a list of suitable subjects, and will be looking for industry guidance on
those that are felt the most urgent and relevant. Developing a suite of films and associated
materials will create a safety resource that all seafarers can access, understand and share,
developed by, and for, the maritime industry.
Moving forward Our aim is to create a series of films, covering subjects which continue to blight the safety record of the world fleet; Confined Space Entry and Rescue, Mooring Operations and Cargo Liquefaction are examples. Each film will take a human factors approach to its subject area (where appropriate), bringing together experts in the specific field and the stakeholders will have opportunities for involvement in the creative and technical development.
Supporters We believe that it is time for a change in the way that maritime training and education is funded and distributed to the world’s seafarers:
SeaProf is a specialist Maritime Executive Education company based in Singapore, providing a dedicated education venue for the crea-
tion and production of both public and in-house maritime executive short courses in Singapore and the Asian region. Contact: Robert E
Gordon – Managing Director
(If you’d like to show your support for this initiative by includ-
ing your name as a supporter, either personally (and
‘unofficially’) or officially as an organisation, please email
your details to [email protected])
Background Fidra Films was founded by Chris Young, who was until recently the Maritime Training Producer for KVH Media Group’s TRAININGlink (formerly the long-established Walport Maritime Training Films). During his tenure at Walport, Young successfully conceived and developed the critically acclaimed and widely distributed The Human Element training resource (DVD and guide-book), based on the book of the same name developed and released by the UK’s MCA. The film, runner-up in the 2014 Seatrade Awards ‘Safety at Sea’ category, was developed in partnership with the MCA, BP, Teekay and The Standard Club. Following the release of The Human Element, Young developed a number of further titles for KVH, all based on developing an understanding of how normal human behaviour af-fects the way we think and act, both at work and more generally in our lives. Fidra Films was created to further this work and to ensure that quality training materials are available to as many seafarers as possible, regardless of their circumstances. We work with a number of partners to create films that change lives, in particular:
Pukka Films 2015 BAFTA nominated Pukka Films have an enviable reputation for creating award-winning drama-based training films, having won a number of International Visual Commu-nication Association (IVCA, now EVCOM) Gold and Silver awards. The creative team at Pukka have been instrumental to the success of a number of Young’s recent projects, including training resources tackling human factors issues such as complacency and maritime communications (a trilogy of films). In 2014, Pukka pro-duced the critically acclaimed and BAFTA nominated ‘Kajaki—The True Story’.
GS Partnership
Organisational psychologists Dik Gregory and Paul Shanahan authored ‘The Human Ele-
ment’ book for the MCA (amongst a number of other publications) and they were core to
the development of the subsequent film of the same name.
They subsequently worked with Young as consultants on a film about understanding the
role of Complacency at sea, released in 2015.
The world’s shipping industry is reportedly worth in
excess of 300m USD.
It is worth an estimated £20bn to the UK economy
alone.
It employs over 1 million seafarers on almost 90,000
vessels.
Contact details:
Interested parties should, in the first instance, contact Chris Young:
Chris Young MNI
Executive Producer
Fidra Films & Media
Tel: +44 (0)7500 906 220
Safer, Smarter Seafarers.
Section 2
Project goals The project’s wider aims are set out in the Introduction, so this brief refers specifically to the proposed ‘Navigation Matters’ film. Insurance statistics reveal that over 50% of the cost of claims are caused by collisions, groundings and contacts. We are working to develop a film and training resource aimed at raising the standard of navigational watch-keeping throughout the international merchant fleet, targeted at reduc-ing the number of maritime casualties caused by navigational errors and bad practice. The intended outcomes are to:
Prevent injury and loss of life amongst seafarers and/or their passengers. Reduce the environmental impact of maritime operations and incidents. Reduce the overall cost to the industry of hull and cargo damage claims. Reduce the reputational impact on ship owners and the maritime industry gen-
erally of shipping incidents.
By removing the most likely barrier to adoption, i.e. cost, the film will be freely available to all seafarers and the international maritime community, maximising its potential education-al benefit.
P&I Clubs pool their risk to avoid exposure to ex-
cessively large claims.
The same P&I Clubs can pool their investment in
training to potentially reduce their combined expo-
sure to all claims.
Training content
This training resource will illustrate to the OOW and other members of the bridge team how their natural behaviour (and that of their colleagues) influences their perception and understanding of a situation and their subsequent decision making, enabling them to im-prove their performance. The film will concentrate on the human factors issues inherent in navigational operations, with technical and regulatory advice included where appropriate. The following is an initial list of topics to cover, drawn from maritime accident and incident
reports and other publications from the past couple of years. These subjects will be re-
duced or combined following consultation with stakeholders to create a manageable
scope:
General navigational practice.
Teamwork (Bridge Team Management).
The integration of electronic navigational aids (ECDIS, AIS etc) into traditional
navigational watch procedures, including the risk of over-reliance on technology.
Understanding of, and adherence to, the COLREGs. Use of the COLREGs in a
complex multi-vessel situation
The use of VHF as a collision avoidance measure—the use of “Personal Con-
tracts” between vessels.
Poor lookout practices (cited by Swedish Club, Navigational Claims - 2014).
Effective passage planning.
Complacency and/or poor Situational Awareness (cited by Swedish Club, Navi-
gational Claims - 2014).
Poor communication – between vessels, between vessel and shore and also
amongst the crew themselves, including communicating with a pilot.
Lack of assertiveness/power distance.
Poor or incomplete maintenance (cited by Swedish Club, Navigational Claims -
2014).
Ineffective procedures/non-compliance.
Fatigue and stress.
Regulatory oversight /manning levels.
Priority will be given to those subjects where an understanding of the human factors issues
involved can be transferred to other areas.
Creative concept
The film will use high quality drama to approach the subject using a realistic scenario to
demonstrate good practice. In keeping with the human factors approach, the film will look
at how we interact with technology, with each other and how we behave in potentially com-
plex situations.
The film will harness the power of storytelling to convey its message to the audience. Us-
ing characters the viewer empathises with in a technically accurate scenario the film will
illustrate how people behave and how we can take this understanding and make changes
that allow us to perform better.
In view of the intended delivery mechanisms, consideration must be given to ensuring that
the film is effective when watched by a lone viewer without access to any additional train-
ing notes. While the effectiveness of any training film is enhanced by the input of an expe-
rienced facilitator, as this is not always practical, the content must be easily understood
and the lessons taken onboard when watched in a standalone environment.
There will be a specific ‘call to action’ included at the end of the film encouraging viewers
to share the film and its message with their colleagues.
The production team will consist largely of the team who created the hugely successful
The Human Element (runner up at the 2014 Seatrade Awards in the Safety at Sea cate-
gory) DVD and Facilitator Guide. More information on our creative and educational part-
ners can be found elsewhere.
Proposed running time approx. 25-30 minutes.
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words,
sound and/or images, often by improvisation or em-
bellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared
in every culture as a means of entertainment, edu-
cation, cultural preservation, and instilling moral val-
ues.
Funding, budget and accounts
The production budget will be raised from within the industry, via stakeholders who have
an interest in raising the standard of navigational practice throughout the world’s fleet.
Further information on fundraising is contained in our main Proposal document.
The budget for the production is estimated to be circa £100—£120k (including a contin-
gency allowance) from conception to delivery. We are looking to raise this funding from up
to 8 ‘stakeholders’ in the project, with production and initial billing to begin in January
2016.
The final budget will be negotiated with stakeholders prior to commencement of produc-
tion, and stakeholders will be able to view the accounts for the project to satisfy them-
selves that their investment was judiciously spent. Any funds remaining at the close of the
project will be either returned to stakeholders pro-rata, or if consent is given they will be
put towards the cost of the next training project.
As Executive Producers, Fidra Films will charge a production fee (clearly included in the
budget) to cover our costs. Following completion and release, we will not seek to raise any
further income from the film. We will, however, continue to assist with promotion and distri-
bution, actively encouraging others to do likewise.
Delivery
To maintain the general aims of the project, the film and any additional associated materi-
als (a guidebook, for example) will be made available freely to any and all shipping opera-
tors, organisations, trainers, officers and seafarers.
Delivery will be primarily via the Internet. This is to allow (indeed to encourage) simple,
easy sharing and distribution to as large an audience as possible. It is envisaged at this
stage that the film will be available from multiple download locations.
Delivery on freely-distributed DVDs or digital devices is open to discussion, but this will
have cost implications and would need agreeing in the final budget, or the assistance of an
additional sponsor
Following the creation of a number of resources, development of a delivery mechanism via
a smartphone app is considered a possibility.
Copyright will be held by Fidra Films. No licence will be granted to those seeking to sell or
otherwise monetise the project.
How can you get involved? As previously stated, we are looking for a number of enlightened industry leaders and or-ganisations to support the project. Whilst financial backing is a primary objective, we would also like to talk to those who may be interested in giving us political support. At this stage, we are looking for:
Organisations who will officially support us through the development stage and beyond, allowing us to use their name and logo, assisting the effort to generate additional support.
Financial backing from an organisation (or individual) to help toward the cost of promoting and developing the project during its infancy.
Early interest in funding and content development for the ‘Navigation Matters’ film, which we plan to begin production of early in 2016.
Any organisation or individual who has ideas or advice they would like to share to help us make the overall project a success.
Please get in touch if you are interested in taking this project forward, allowing our industry
to educate and support Safer, Smarter Seafarers throughout the world’s fleet.
Thank you.
Chris Young
Contact details:
Interested parties should, in the first instance, contact Chris Young:
Chris Young MNI
Executive Producer
Fidra Films & Media
Tel: +44 (0)7500 906 220
