SAFETY

As weather gets worse, we’ve begun to get better

Graphic from NTSB report on the SEACOR Power shows vessels in the vicinity. Would a vessel based weather alert system have helped?

Exactly one year ago, this column addressed how weather has become an increasing threat to the maritime community. Current weather and climate data suggests severe weather is only going to increase in frequency and severity, and the U.S. Coast Guard has been dealing with an uptick in weather related marine casualties. The overall tone and outlook of last year’s column was grim, with the Coast Guard publishing a marine safety alert following a trend of catastrophic weather-related incidents like in the case of the SEACOR Power.

One year later, the Coast Guard continues to track and study the number of weather-related incidents, and the data from the past several years demonstrates the threat to mariner safety has never been more real. Since 2015, the Coast Guard has conducted over 80 investigations into the loss of 86 commercial vessels due to heavy weather, with 19 vessels lost in 2020 alone. While roughly half these losses are due to large, trackable events like tropical storms and hurricanes, the other half stem from sudden heavy weather where the vessel involved received little to no warning.

These events come in many different types and sizes; squalls, derechos, wake lows, microbursts etc. and each of them presents a clear and present danger to any vessel caught in their path. During these events, the information at hand, and the subsequent human decision making based on it can often mean the difference between life and death. The accuracy of information, and the speed at which vessels receive it are of critical importance.

Fortunately, through hard work and innovation a potential solution has emerged. Shortly after the “As Weather Gets Worse, We Must Be Better” column Marine Log published in December 2021, an international study led by Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, executive director of the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association, examined how ships receive weather information worldwide. The results of the study were published in a white paper, titled “A Global Network of

Projected costs of installation for [AIS] devices are relatively low ...

Vessel Based Automated Weather Stations: How and Why,” that concluded that despite tremendous advances in weather tracking and forecasting technology, ships at sea are not receiving accurate weather information quickly enough to influence decision making. The paper also proposes a solution. A concept has been developed to install automated weather stations (AWS) on vessels and connect them to a processor, which would format the observations into a message that could be transmitted by the ship’s automatic identification system (AIS) and broadcast real time weather observations to vessels within approximately 40 miles. Vessels experiencing high winds, squalls, etc. would automatically send out the weather information and operators would be alerted that their vessel was in the danger area. The transmissions could also be received by terrestrial and satellite-based AIS receivers and feed the observations to the global weather database. The projected costs of installation for these devices are relatively low, with the pieces needed totaling less than $2,000 dollars, which makes it even more appealing option.

The proposed shipboard automated weather systems have already gained some traction internationally, and testing of the ship-based AWS has commenced. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has installed the system on over a dozen vessels, with the potential to expand the test to thousands more. The proposal has also been forwarded to the International Maritime Organization, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, and many other maritime agencies worldwide for consideration. These entities will now have to determine both the technical and logistical specifics necessary to implement this system if they ultimately conclude it’s the best course of action.

Regardless, it is undoubtfully positive news and a step in the right direction in preparing the maritime community for what’s to come. It’s both comforting and inspiring to know that there are individuals out there working to ensure that as the weather gets worse, we do get better.

LCDR CHAD YEAMANS, MS, SHRM-CP Detachment Chief USCG Investigations National Center of Expertise

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