Capt. Parani's Article on Seaways Magazine from Nautical Institute, June 2017 Issue

1. Feature: Port or Starboard?
12 | Seaways | June 2017 Read Seaways online at www.nautinst.org/seaways
Understanding the mechanics of decision making can help seafarers pick the right
answer first time, every time
Port or Starboard?
Captain VS Parani
FNI, FICS, MIMarEST
W
hat’s called a difficult decision is a difficult decision
because either way you go there are penalties.’
– Elia Kazan
Difficult decisions are something that all ships’
officers will be familiar with. Take the following situation. A reefer ship
with its cargo of frozen fish is due to leave berth the following morning.
The weather forecast predicts 55 knot winds outside the harbour. The
anemometer currently shows about 20 knots. Could the wind speed
increase by more than twice during the night? The ship must unberth
at daylight if it is to make the scheduled arrival time at the next port.
On the other hand, the rough seas outside could severely damage this
small ship.
A similar situation: Onboard a container ship in the Mediterranean,
a junior engineer reports to the Chief Engineer that the fuel tank,
which was nearly full yesterday, is down by two-thirds. The Chief
Engineer is busy writing his noon report. He wonders with a bit of
irritation why the sounding has reduced. Has the junior made an
error? It wouldn’t be the first time. Should he investigate, or should he
complete the report first?
Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, the Chief Officer of a chemical
tanker gets a call from the Captain asking him when the tanks will
be ready for the next loading. If the crew go into the tanks now, the
cleaning will be complete sooner. But the tanks are not yet fully
ventilated. There could still be flammable hazardous gases inside. He
nervously debates sending the crew in, or telling the Captain that cargo
operations could be delayed.
What happened?
In the first case, the Captain felt that his ship will be able to handle the
heavy seas. As soon as he left the breakwater, the small reefer ship was
battered by the waves. It soon lost power and ran aground. The ship
was abandoned. The crew were rescued, but at the cost of a life from
the rescue team.
The Chief Engineer chose to ignore the Junior Engineer’s report.
The next day, they found the adjoining cargo hold swamped by leaked
fuel oil. Twenty containers of pasta, now swimming in fuel oil sauce.
The Chief Officer ignored protests by some of the crew and sent
them into the tanks. A spark ignited the flammable atmosphere in the
tank. The resulting explosion sank the chemical tanker, taking the lives
of all but a handful of survivors.
Sadly, all these are real life stories. With better decisions, the
outcome could have been different. We may be faced with several
such situations every day and it is not always a straight forward choice
between right and wrong. Faced with these dilemmas, how can we
make the right decision to take the ship and its crew safely to the next
leg of the voyage?
In order to find out how to make the right decision, we must also
ask why people make wrong decisions? What strategies can mariners
adopt to ensure they make the right decision, first time and every time?
And how can company management assist in better decision making
onboard ships?
Decision making is both a complex science and a key leadership
skill. It is as much a rational algorithm as an emotionally loaded
process. Understanding the mechanics of decision making can help
seafarers pick the right methods while steering clear of the dangers.
Decision making requires clarity of thought, preparation and practice.
‘
Port or Starboard v1 lrb.indd 12 16/05/2017 15:58

2. Feature: Port or Starboard?
Read Seaways online at www.nautinst.org/seaways June 2017 | Seaways | 13
Capt V S Parani is the author of Golden Stripes: Leadership on the High
Seas, available from Whittles Publishing.
The article is the personal view of the author and does not
necessarily represent those of the organisations he is employed or
associated with. He welcomes comments at www.parani.org.
Decision making mindsets
Mariners first need to acknowledge that decision making isn’t easy.
Next, it is important to acknowledge where a situation is changing
and needs a decision. Overconfidence impedes our ability to register
change, or leads us to conveniently assume that the new information
has no significance.
Decision making is an intentional process requiring a person to
overcome inertia. It is a stressful process. And we may react either with
a flight or freeze response, both unhelpful for the ship. Leaders can
instead, tap into their innate fight response to enable them to decide.
Decision making requires courage, and a leader needs a lot of it to be
able to lead the ship day after day.
To get past the ‘flight or freeze’ response, I recommend the decision-
making template DECIDE:
l Detect,
l Evaluate,
l Choose,
l Identify,
l Do,
l Evaluate Effectiveness.
The method has been well tested in aviation and I have found it
applicable to shipping as well. I’ve also developed a decision-making
mnemonic (opposite) which can help seafarers understand the
decision-making process, highlighting the hazards at each stage of the
process, and what must be done to avoid them.
Decision making is often a choice between a wrong and a lesser
wrong or a right and a greater right, often guided by the values held in
the organisation and on board the ship. It is a crucial part of leadership
onboard ship – and it is a skill that can be learnt and improved with
practice.
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