Conception

[Rob Wilks]

Here’s an article from the Independent, Santa Barbaras weekly paper, about changes to California liveaboard dive vessels in the wake of the Conception.

‘Conception’ Safety Reforms to Be Implemented - The Santa Barbara Independent

 

[Wookie]

Coast guard has new rules, suitably vague so that if you jump out your ass to comply, and your inspector isn’t happy, you get to jump out your ass some more.

Interim Rule: Fire safety of small passenger vessels

The Coast Guard announced in the Federal Register that it is issuing an interim rule as the first step to implementing the statutorily mandated requirements for fire safety on certain covered small…

mariners.coastguard.blog

 

[boulderjohn]

I was on a liveaboard a few weeks ago (Aggressor Roatán), and when they introduced the crew on our first day, one of them had a job such that we might never see him again--he was to be awake all night as a watch. We were told that rotating the job of being awake among the crew as a whole had proven to be unworkable. That seems to me to be the most important change a boat can make to its processes, and I notice that nothing in the new rules calls for anything like that.

 

[Wookie]

I was on a liveaboard a few weeks ago (Aggressor Roatán), and when they introduced the crew on our first day, one of them had a job such that we might never see him again--he was to be awake all night as a watch. We were told that rotating the job of being awake among the crew as a whole had proven to be unworkable. That seems to me to be the most important change a boat can make to its processes, and I notice that nothing in the new rules calls for anything like that.

#3 kinda does.

Suitably vague.

 

[Johnoly]

Coast guard has new rules, suitably vague

"Accommodations" ? Cushions in the V-berth? You might need a fire suppression system if out past midnite.

 

[Rob Wilks]

Well, for what’s its worth, I have been on three trips on the Vision since they started operations this past summer under new ownership, Channel Island Expeditions.
Very obviously, both Truth and Vision have undergone the extensive safety modifications listed above.
They currently rotate the crew through the night to keep watch every couple of hours to maintain continuity. From a passenger perspective, it seems like it works well for that vessel.

 

[rongoodman]

The most surprising thing to me about the Red Sea Aggressor that burned and sank was that when I was aboard the previous spring they had about 12 crew members--you couldn't put on your fins without somebody trying to "help". They were all asleep the night the boat caught fire though, until a guest woke them up.

 

[Ayisha]

I was on a liveaboard a few weeks ago (Aggressor Roatán), and when they introduced the crew on our first day, one of them had a job such that we might never see him again--he was to be awake all night as a watch. We were told that rotating the job of being awake among the crew as a whole had proven to be unworkable. That seems to me to be the most important change a boat can make to its processes, and I notice that nothing in the new rules calls for anything like that.

When I was on the Belize Aggressor III in April 2019, they had Alex the roving night watchman work similar overnight hours.

He used to wake up in the afternoon, have dinner, and chat with us as we socialized into the wee hours. One of my friends would crash early every night and wake up around 4 AM and have coffee with Alex.

They were very mindful of charging and didn't allow charging of anything more than a cell phone in the cabin, and only while we were in there. That was over 4 months before the Conception or Red Sea Aggressor tragedies.

No other liveaboard that I went on prior to that ever had a night watch that we could tell, and my friends and I are night owls - that includes off Catalina Island. The ones out of the US had the same rules even before the fires, but they didn't seem to be followed.

 

[rongoodman]

The Turks and Caicos Aggressor was the same in 12/19.

 

[boulderjohn]

I just want to add something to the night watch bit--the difference between a dedicated night watch crew member and rotating the watch among the regular crew members.

The theory is that item #3 will cover that:

3. Installation and use of monitoring devices to ensure wakefulness of the required night watch (for covered SPVs with overnight passenger accommodations);​

​

I have personally had a number of occasions where I have had to be up in the middle of the night after a long day of work. It is really, really easy to nod off under those circumstances without even realizing it, and you don't have to nod off for long to miss a fire.

As someone who has had to deal with sleep issues for a long time, I have read a number of studies on sleep deprivation. It does funny things to your mind. One of the studies of people who have trouble sleeping showed that during periods when they thought they were fully awake at night, there were actually periods when they were sound asleep and didn't know it.