Project Horizon
Wessel van Leeuwen, Stockholm University
Margareta Lützhöft, Chalmers University of Technology
wessel.vleeuwen@stressforskning.su.se, Stress Research Institute
The HORIZON project
•  A EU research project aiming to tackle the
problems posed by seafarer fatigue and
analyzing effects on performance
•  European Commission-funded (€3,78m)
•  30-month research programme
•  June 2009 – now
•  Simulators at Chalmers and Southampton
Solent University
•  Data analyses at Stockholm University
Method
•  90 healthy experienced bridge and engineer
watch keepers
•  Employed through a manning agency
•  1 day of introduction and training
•  1 week voyage (North Sea & English Channel)
•  Either 4/8 or 6/6
•  On site for full 7 days in accommodation
•  Caffeine is regulated and no alcohol
Research design
C
Bridge
Bridge
W
Engine
room
-
4 on 8 off
6 on 6 off
4 on 8 off vs. 6 on 6 off
Disturbed free watch
-
6 on 6 off bridge
6 on 6 off engine room
Bridge vs. engine room
Time at sea
Measures included:
•  Sleepiness ratings
•  Stress ratings
•  Wake, work, sleep diaries
•  Electroencephalograpy
(EEG)
•  Reaction time (PVT task)
•  Navigational performance
•  Debriefing interviews
Karolinska Sleepiness Scale
1 extremely alert
2 very alert
3 alert
4 rather alert
5 neither alert nor sleepy
6 some signs of sleepiness
7 sleepy, no effort to stay
awake
8 sleepy some effort to stay
awake
9 very sleepy, great effort to
stay awake, fighting sleep
Key questions
•  How sleepy were participants whilst on watch?
•  Did participants fall asleep on watch?
•  How much sleep did participants get off watch?
•  Was there performance affected?
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Sleepiness after overtime work
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Conclusions
•  More sleep on watch, less sleep off watch in
6/6 compared to 4/8
•  Most severe sleepiness reached at the end of
night watches
•  Unexpectedly high amounts of participants
falling asleep on watch
•  But no effects on navigational performance
Naturalistic performance
unaffected, but….
Maritime safety
Risk exposure
Capacity to act
•  100% of time in
road traffic
•  0% when sleeping
•  Much lower in air
and sea, and with a
burst-like
distribution over
time
•  Increases when
sleepiness declines
Maritime safety – an illustration
Risk exposure  no problem
Clocktime
Risk exposure  incident/disaster
A closer look at sleep
EEG trace
Maritime safety – an illustration
20:29
Recommendations include
•  Fatigue management toolkit for better planning (MARTHA,
available through
http://www.warsashacademy.co.uk/research/horizon/
martha.aspx
•  Scheduling of voyages, including travels to vessel and trips
back home after a voyage
•  Off duty period on the 6-6 watch system must be reserved
for sleep and rest
•  Bridge resource management
•  Better sleep environment, fatigue countermeasures
•  No rotating watch systems
•  Watch change times (3 – 9 better than 6-12)
•  Medical conditions of personnel
Acknowledgements
•  Warsash Maritime Academy
•  Bureau Veritas
•  Chalmers University of Technology
•  Nautilus
•  Charles Taylor & Co
•  ECSA
•  EHMC
•  INTERTANKO
•  MAIB
•  MCA
•  European Commission
Martha
A fatigue predicting tool – based on
the results of project Horizon
wessel.vleeuwen@stressforskning.su.se, Stress Research Institute
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Alertness
Regulation of alertness
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Alertness
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Regulation of alertness
Historical development
•  1995: three process model of alertness regulation
(TPMA) published in the literature
•  2004: sleep wake predictor (SWP): the first
implementation publically available
•  2011: MARTHA: SWP adjusted for seafaring based
on HORIZON results
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MARTHA
A short demonstration …
www.project-horizon.eu
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TIME AT KSS > 5
Watch 00-04 & 12-16
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