Marine insurance firm NorthStandard has launched a new ECDIS Training Assessment platform and Get SET! range of digital products, to help users optimise bridge team management and uphold best practice in vessel operations.
The Get SET! range features Safety & Efficiency Technologies (SET) aimed at improving crew situational awareness and operational expertise. The ECDIS Training Assessment (ETA) platform is the first product in the range, an online continuous professional development tool for deck officers developed by NorthStandard’s Loss Prevention team, in collaboration with the UK Hydrographic Office.
A multiple-choice assessment exam allows crew members to identify any weaknesses or gaps in their ECDIS skills to prompt self-evaluation and further learning on their personal or company devices.
Anonymised at the crew user level, the digital tool also generates a consolidated fleet-wide report to help shipowners evaluate their deck officers’ ECDIS proficiency and identify areas for training development and focus. Company level data is not available to NorthStandard unless a member chooses to share.
“ECDIS is an excellent navigational aid, but time and again incident reports, in particular those related to groundings, have shown that there are gaps in ECDIS knowledge leading to misuse of important ECDIS safety features.” said Colin Gillespie, Global Head of Loss Prevention, NorthStandard.
“As the first-of-its-kind resource for ECDIS, our online ETA platform helps deck officers identify and fill any gaps in their knowledge at both the individual and fleet-wide levels with comprehensive, relevant training using real life scenarios. Instant results provide lesson-based feedback as well as access to further ECDIS training materials.”
“With repeated use over time, ETA helps seafarers to enhance awareness and their skills, keep up to date on any new developments, and ensures ECDIS best practice is always front of mind.”
The rest of the Get SET! Range will be launched later in the year, focused on situational awareness, improving efficiency, minimising fatigue and reducing human error.
