ALERT — ISSUE 36 — OPERABILITY, ACCESSIBILITY & MANOEUVRABILITY

This issue of Alert bulletin is focusing on the operability, referred to as the controllability combined with the workability, maneuverability and accessibility. They often say that if you ask ten masters how they would prefer their navigation bridge laid out you will always get ten completely different answers. And, if you ask ten chief mates about the design of the cargo control room of their vessel you will likewise get ten different answer.

Same situation will be there if you ask ten chief engineers about the preferable machinery control room layout. And there is nothing surprising in this since, due to many reasons, each human has some own preferences for the design and arrangement of the control spaces since this would directly affect the way in which this person receives the information and processes it, reacts to various alerts and alarms, and manages all controls commonly associated with the numerous systems and instruments concerned with the safe navigation of the vessel.

Though it is obviously not possible to pander to all personal preferences, it is still necessary to determines what is required from the designers of the ship in terms of various user requirements as well as of the required functionality of shipboard systems.