Swedish researchers are participating in a recently started international research project called Martha, in which the impact of different watch systems on the level of tiredness on board will be examined. Martha is a follow-up of the research project Horizon, in which watch systems (six on six and four-eight) were studied in simulators. Equivalent studies will now be carried out on board.
”We are going to look at conditions on ships sailing in Europe and between Europe and Asia,” says Kjell Kecklund at the stress research department of Stockholm University, which is one of the partners in the project. The study also includes researchers from Denmark, the UK and China.
China, a huge seafaring nation
”To get China involved in maritime safety work is necessary to drive development forwards. It is a huge seafaring nation and the university which we are cooperating with in this study graduates 16,000 officers each year,” says Kjell Kecklund.