| This study was concerned with obtaining the opinions of Canadian mariners as to the appropriate training which may be offered through the use of the new ship handling simulator facility established in St. John's Newfoundland. In 1987 funding was approved through the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Development agreement for an advanced ship handling simulator facility to train Canadian mariners and to enhance safety at sea.The questionnaire addressed training needs established through informal discussions with Canadian mariners in addition to the review of training being offered, at the time of the survey, at ship handling simulator facilities in other countries. The sections on the questionnaire were ship handling, navigation, emergencies, bridge team work, offshore petroleum, fishing, navigation in ice and specialized tasks. In addition, respondents were offered the opportunity to submit related comments. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)A questionnaire was distributed to Canadian mariners seeking their opinions as to the training needs. One hundred and twenty-seven questionnaires were distributed to mariners by the researcher and forty-two questionnaires were delivered to marine colleges, Canadian Coast Guard centres and shipping companies for further unrestricted distribution, two hundred and one questionnaires were returned. The study identified five sectors of the marine industry as distinct and asked respondents to associate with one of these sectors which were Great Lake shipping, Fishing, Oil exploration, Coastal shipping (ferries etc.) and General shipping (including Coast Guard). The questionnaire was limited to those mariners who had attended a radar simulator course, this was achieved by restricting the distribution to those with a minimum certification level. |
