Fatigue

Fatigue is defined as;

Regardless of rank, seafarers tend to work in shifts when onboard. Work hours might be long, and rest hours change all the time, and this constant time change and/or shift pattern can all contribute to fatigue.  There are two different types of fatigue, physical and mental.

1. Physical Fatigue - Occurs when a person finds it physically hard to do simple things which were done without problems before. This includes muscle weakness.
2. Mental Fatigue - Occurs when a person cannot seem to concentrate on things and stay focused on specific tasks. Such fatigue will result in a person feeling constantly sleepy and even having difficulty staying awake.

A large 82% of recorded accidents, such as collision and grounding, tend to occur between 0000 - 0600 and are deemed to be caused by fatigue. When seafarers are employed on longer contracts, the constant lack of good sleep and reduced motivation become a contributing factor to human error resulting in near-misses, incidents or even accidents onboard. 

Hours of Work and Rest

To avoid fatigue, the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 was introduced. MLC stipulates the limits on hours of work and rests as follows:

• Maximum hours of work shall not exceed: 14 hours in any 24 hours and 72 hours in any 7 days, or
• Minimum hours of rest shall not be less than 10 hours in any 24 hours and 77 hours in any 7 days.

In addition to that, the seafarers can take specific measures themselves to aid in reducing fatigue, such as ensuring that during their off-period, sleep is prioritised over other activities.

Emotional Exhaustion

Emotional exhaustion occurs when a person feels excessive stress in their work or personal life for a longer period. This results in a constant feeling of tiredness and lack of focus. The most common symptoms of fatigue include:

• Lack of motivation.
• Irritability.
• Insomnia.

Interaction onboard, such as simple social events like movie nights or game nights, breaks the monotony of life at sea. These assist the seafarers in socialising with each other and forming relationships which in return results in the reduction of stress. When seafarers are provided with means of contacting their family, friends and loved ones, their quality of life increases. This connectivity aids in keeping the onboard crew yachts happier. Shore leave and food are two other important factors in ensuring the welfare of seafarers. The following items are to be considered for the well-being of seafarers onboard;

• Interaction.
• Connectivity.
• Training.
• Shore Leave.
• Food (Different cultures and diets should be taken into account when it comes to food onboard).

Fatigue onboard continues to increase throughout the years due to higher demands and bigger superyachts requiring the same number of crew as smaller yachts. The International Maritime Organisation decided on the importance of issuing Guidelines on Fatigue.