Fatigue is a health and safety issue. Most maritime accidents caused by fatigue follow a lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep. By better understanding the causes and implementing strategies to manage fatigue, the risk of fatigue-related accidents will reduce.
Fatigue management programme for vessels
Maritime New Zealand has introduced a fatigue management programme for vessels as part of the safe ship management (SSM) system.
The fatigue management programme has three levels:
Safe ship management companies and maritime safety inspectors are helping to implement the fatigue management programme.
If you are intending to write a fatigue management plan, please contact your safe ship management company.
Maritime New Zealand has developed a range of resources to help seafarers, vessel owners and managers in the maritime industry better understand and manage fatigue; to prevent fatigue-related accidents. The theme for our resources is ‘Get your sleep – reduce your risk’.
Use the links below for fatigue management advice, tools, tests and further links:
For crew and skippers
For vessel owners and managers
For safe ship management companies and maritime safety inspectors
Fatigue resources for the maritime industry
Links – for more fatigue advice
See the crew and the skipper page for the tests referred to in our publications, to help assess if you have a sleep problem and if you are a morning or evening type. There is also a list of sleep clinics.
We welcome suggestions to improve our resources. If you have any suggestions or would like to share your experiences please contact Maritime New Zealand.