Navigare nummer 4 - 2018

NEWS
ENGLISH TRANSLATION FROM PAGE 9
My ship is loaded with seafarers
The ocean can be rough and unpredictable.
Take care of each other during the winter storms.
The ocean gives – and takes away. The
recent incident involving the Norwegian
frigate KNM Helge Ingstad was a reminder
of the power of the sea. At a collision with
the tanker Sola TS, a long hole was torn
into the side of the frigate. The frigate
immediately started to take on water.
The crew had to abandon ship in a hurry.
Naked and barefoot, they struggled through
water and deformed bulkheads towards the
liferafts. Everyone was brought safely ashore.
Only a handful of people suffered minor
injuries. Two were sent to hospital.
JON MAGNUS HAGA THE NORWEGIAN CENTRE FOR MARITIME MEDICINE
HIGH RISK
Shipping is serious business. Norwegian
seafarers have a more than 20 times higher
risk of work-related death than Norwegians
working ashore.
This is partly due to falls from height
and falls over board, but also medical
conditions such as heart attacks and stroke.
Such conditions might not be more
common in the Barents Sea than in the
centre of Bergen, but they often have more
serious consequences.
PREVENTION
Many things can be done to prevent
injuries. Effective safety systems and
thorough personnel selection processes may
be implemented. However, risks can never
be totally eliminated. Knowledge among the
crew is the best protection against risk.
High-level training enables us to help
each other in difficult situations. One day,
you might have to apply a splint to my
broken leg. Or perhaps you have to stop the
bleeding from my arm when I have had my
hand ripped off.
It is important that we practice first aid skills
on a regular basis. Such training is short-lived.
Ship hospitals must be used actively, so that
they do not turn into locked cabins which are
only being used in case of emergency.
POWERFUL: The recent incident involving the frigate KNM Helge Ingstad and tanker TS Sola,
reminded us of the power of the sea, Jon Magnus Haga writes. PHOTO: MARIT HOMMEDAL/NTB SCANPIX
INVISIBLE WOUNDS
The counting of injuries after the KNM
Helge Ingstad accident is not yet completed.
There are wounds that cannot be seen from
the outside. Serious incidents could cause
invisible wounds – emotional wounds. Being
trapped in a cabin which is slowly filled with
water can be a traumatic experience causing
ongoing emotional reactions.
Such reactions may take different forms.
You might have unpleasant thoughts that
keep coming back, terrible images in your
head or bad memories haunting you at night
and giving you nightmares. Perhaps you are
grieving over the loss of a friend. You might
feel anxious: “What if it happens again?”
TRAINED FIRST AIDERS
Everyday experiences may provoke
uncomfortable emotional reactions at sea as
well. Such reactions could be related to the
longing for home, or to the anxiety of not
being there for their children. There might
be a fear of not being good enough.
My ship is loaded with seafarers. It is
important for us to have the courage to
stand up for each other, see each other and
listen to one another. We need to practise
first aid, both related to physical and mental
conditions. Be curious about your colleagues.
Show that you care. Remember that
our most important job is to ensure that
everyone gets home safely.
The Norwegian Centre for Maritime
and Diving Medicine at Haukeland
University Hospital is the medical
adviser for the Norwegian Maritime
Authority. The centre is involved in
maritime health research, training and
medical assessment of professional
divers. The centre runs Radio Medico,
which has provided medical advice
free of charge to seafarers all over the
world since 1949.
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