Pacific International Lines (PIL) advised the ATSB that Kota Wajar’s bridge team on 6 July 2014 should have comprised the master, two mates and two seamen, with one of the seamen posted as a lookout. The company advised that the bridge team’s composition and their specific duties and functions are clearly stated in shipboard safety management system (SMS) procedures.
The company advised that, in order to address the safety issue, monitoring and verification of compliance with SMS procedures will be enhanced through unannounced navigational audits, including the retrieval and playback of voyage data recordings. In addition, records of wheelhouse activities, including bridge attendance logs will be subject to detailed reviews by PIL during routine shipboard safety audits. These enhanced procedures and processes are scheduled for implementation in August 2015.