Seafarers’ needs must drive technological advances at sea, study highlights

New research highlights how technology can shift rather than eliminate operational risks at sea, emphasizing the importance of seafarer experience in ensuring its safe implementation.

The findings are presented in the STEER Project’s initial report, The evidence, the gaps and the way forward, published by The Nautical Institute with support from Lloyd’s Register Foundation. Drawing on casualty investigations, academic research, industry publications and seafarer feedback, the report examines technology’s impact on shipboard safety, workload, competence and wellbeing.

As explained, a review of 471 maritime casualty cases between 2005 and 2025 found that 43.1% involved at least one human-factor cause associated with equipment and workplace conditions. Among 35 cases where technology was identified as a direct cause, safety management failures were present in 89%, while inadequate resourcing was identified in 77%.

The casualty analysis, undertaken by the University of Strathclyde, indicates that technology-related incidents often involve underlying organizational weaknesses rather than equipment failures alone. Inadequate training, ineffective procedures, weak supervision and shortcomings in safety management were among the contributing factors identified.

The research also found that technology-related casualties were more commonly associated with systems being misused, misunderstood or ignored than with hardware failures. This raises questions about how new technologies are introduced onboard and whether crews receive sufficient familiarization and operational support.

The findings do not mean that technology caused 43.1% of the casualties examined. Rather, they indicate that equipment and workplace conditions were among the human factors identified in those investigations.

Safety management remains central to technology performance

According to the report, technological advancement does not automatically translate into improved operational safety. Its effectiveness depends on how equipment is designed, integrated, maintained and supported throughout its operational life.

The research further highlights how poorly designed interfaces, excessive alarms, insufficient familiarization and operational workarounds can undermine the intended safety benefits of onboard systems.

Capt. David Patraiko, Director of Projects at The Nautical Institute, emphasized in the accompanying announcement that technology’s benefits cannot be assessed on technical capability alone.

What matters is how systems perform in real operations and how they affect the people expected to use them.

The findings suggest that shipowners and managers should examine not only whether equipment meets technical requirements but also how it affects workload, decision-making and the ability of seafarers to respond to abnormal situations.

Recurring alarm overrides, unreliable interfaces and repeated workarounds should therefore be recognized as potential indicators of wider safety management problems.

These concerns also connect with previous findings that excessive alarms can undermine rather than improve shipboard safety, particularly when crews become overwhelmed by warnings or lose confidence in alarm systems.

Key findings: The wider impact of technology on seafarers

Beyond casualty investigations, the research examines technological change across five areas: safety and operational risk, skills and competence, workload and manning, welfare and wellbeing, and inequality and inclusion. 

What the research reveals:

• Automation, workload and manning: Automation can reduce repetitive duties but may also introduce additional monitoring, troubleshooting and administrative responsibilities. Where technological efficiencies are accompanied by reduced manning, remaining seafarers may face increased workloads, particularly during emergencies.
• Alarm fatigue and cognitive overload: Excessive or poorly configured alarms can distract crews, weaken situational awareness and encourage unsafe practices, including silencing or overriding warnings. The research also identifies risks arising from incompatible systems and information overload.
• Training and professional competence: Growing reliance on automation can weaken opportunities to practice traditional skills, while inadequate familiarization may leave crews unprepared for equipment failures. The report highlights the importance of vessel-specific training, realistic simulation and maintaining professional judgment.
• Operational resilience: Increasing reliance on connected and automated systems raises questions about vessel operations when connectivity is interrupted, equipment fails or shore-based assistance is unavailable. The long-term implications of these dependencies remain insufficiently researched.
• Connectivity and seafarer wellbeing: Improved communications support family contact, healthcare, learning and access to professional assistance. However, constant availability, digital monitoring and blurred boundaries between work and rest can introduce additional pressures.
• Inequality and access to technology: Opportunities to benefit from technological advances are not distributed equally. Differences in training, digital infrastructure and access to new career pathways may disadvantage certain groups, including ratings, personnel on smaller vessels and seafarers from less-resourced regions.
• AI and emerging technologies: The long-term effects of AI, remote monitoring and automation on seafarers’ competence, professional autonomy and employment remain uncertain, highlighting the need for further evidence.

The research also recognizes substantial benefits from technological progress, including improved navigational awareness, earlier detection of machinery problems, safer inspection methods and better access to medical assistance.

However, these benefits depend on effective implementation and on whether systems are designed around the operational needs of the people using them.

What needs to change?

The report outlines several practical recommendations intended to strengthen the relationship between technology and operational safety. For shipowners and managers, it emphasizes the importance of applying management-of-change procedures before and after introducing new systems.

These assessments should consider their effects on crew workload, competence, operating procedures and the effectiveness of existing safety controls.

The research also recommends incorporating technology-related concerns into safety meetings, vessel audits, near-miss reporting and safety management system reviews. Particular attention should be given to recurring workarounds, alarm fatigue, system mistrust and duplicated administrative tasks.

Technology developers are encouraged to involve seafarers throughout equipment design, testing and implementation, including testing systems under realistic operating conditions involving fatigue, time pressure and degraded connectivity.

For maritime education and training institutions, the recommendations include greater emphasis on automation bias, system failures, conflicting information and the need to critically assess automated outputs.

The importance of maintaining human judgment alongside technological capability was also highlighted in a previous SAFETY4SEA interview with Capt. Ann Pletschke and Capt. David Patraiko, who explained that although technology has significantly changed how seafarers perform their duties, their fundamental responsibilities remain.

While further research is needed to understand the long-term effects of emerging technologies, the evidence highlights the need to address the organizational conditions in which onboard systems are used, ensuring that technological advancement strengthens rather than complicates safe ship operations.

SOURCE : safety4sea