Safety Issue
Both the 6 hours on/6 hours off work routine for watchkeepers and the modified work routine for deck ratings used on board Thor Gitta, while complying with the ILO 180 and STCW requirements for rest, probably resulted in a cumulative level of fatigue in the crew.
Response from the Danish Maritime Authority
The Danish Maritime Authority recognises the use of programs like FAID to indicate the possibility of fatigue, but regards the indications given by such programs only as normative and not as given proof.
It is the opinion of the Danish Maritime Authority that the 6 hours on/off work routine for watchkeepers and the modified routine for deck ratings on board Thor Gitta does not constitute a problem as long as the hours of rest are in compliance with the Order, ILO Convention 180 and part A, Chapter VIII of the STCW code for crewmembers engaged in watchkeeping.
The Danish Maritime Authority disagrees with the statements indicating that the roster of the AB and the work routine for watchkeepers probably results in a cumulative level of fatigue in the crew.
Safety recommendation
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau recommends that the Danish Maritime Authority undertake further work to address this safety issue.