The Comprehensive Evaluation Of Heilongjiang Inland Vessel Crew Competency

With the rapid development of inland shipping, the river safety has attracted more and more attention. As one of the key features to affect shipping safety, research on sufficient competence of crew is an emerging area. Heilongjiang province possesses excellent navigational conditions. However, with a huge number of old, poor-condition ships which cannot be effectively improved in a short time, to improve the competency of crew become a most important method to efficiently ensure the river safety in the near future.Effective identification of crew competency and a fair, objective evaluation of river vessel crew in Heilongjiang is a crucial way to improve the crew competency ability and will lead to scientific, standardized crew management. Therefore, it is imperative to establish a practical, effective, and comprehensive evaluation system for the river vessel crew competency in Heilongjiang.In this article, in light of the iceberg model concept, based on expert interview and questionnaire survey, we build a comprehensive evaluation system for the river vessel crew competency in Heilongjiang through in-depth investigation. In particular, we apply the analytic hierarchy process to determine the weight of each evaluation index, build a fuzzy model for comprehensive evaluation of crew competency based on the theory of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, and investigate the effectiveness of the model through selection of representative samples. The effectiveness and rationality of the model are demonstrated through our study.The evaluation model can be used as an important reference for the selection, assessment and incentive system of vessel crew. It is also an important measure for the training of vessel crew. Furthermore, it provides theoretical foundation for strengthening the management of maritime authority, and modification of crew competency examination and grant of certification. In the meantime, the model provides an effective measure for the ship company to identify actual ability of crew competency. As a summary, the model is an important and practical measure to ensure the shipping safety in Heilongjiang.