Course syllabus

Course guide

Course name:	Bridge Resource Management	Academic year:	2025/2026
Course code:	SJM112	Study period:	SP1
Credits:	7,5 hp (ECTS)	Programme owning the course:	Nautical science
Language of instruction:	English	Department instructing the course:	Mechanics and Maritime Sciences

 

Examiner:	Reto Weber, reto.weber@chalmers.se, 072 158 55 77
Other staff:	Mats Gruvefeldt, mats.gruvefeldt@chalmers.se

Prerequisites

Knowledge and skills corresponding to the learning outcomes of the following courses:

• SJM080 Ship handling and navigation in confined waters
• SJO775 Ocean navigation
• SJO900 Organization and on-board leadership

and at least 150 days of on-board training with a nautical profile

Aim

The aim of the course is to consolidate and develop skills on an operational and management level regarding the effective management and use of all resources (human and technical) to ensure safe and efficient navigation

Learning outcome
(After completion of this course, the student should be able to…)

(L1) Develop a plan for a voyage or passage including task delegation, checklists and procedures.

(L2) Understand the importance of Bridge Resource Management (BRM),  as a process and practice of using all available information and assistance to ensure that navigators make the best possible decisions, and that those inevitable human mistakes and technical failures are captured and mitigated before they can cause any harm.

(L3) Appreciate the complexity of today’s advanced bridge systems and be able to make maximum use of it.

(L4) Apply bridge procedures, checklists and BRM tools including technical resources in simulated normal and critical situations.

Content

• Voyage planning according to IMO Res. A.893 with special regard to ECDIS planning.
• Working with pilots and VTS.
• Bridge procedures and checklists for normal and critical situations.
• Bridge Resource Management:
  • Human factor theory and human limitations
  • Situational awareness,
  • Resource management and decision making
  • Leadership and teamwork
  • Assertiveness
  • Effective communication
  • Planning and prioritization
  • Assessing risks
  • Stress coping, rest and fatigue
• Simulation exercises: monitoring the vessel's progress and position during the execution of a prepared plan in normal and critical situations.

Course literature

An extensive number of reference documents to be used are available on Canvas. The documents listed below only cover some aspects of the course.

Voyage planning:

International Maritime Organization, Resolution A.893 (21), Guidelines for voyage planning

INTERTANKO, Guide to Safe Navigation (including ECDIS)

OCIMF, Recommendations on usage of ECDIS and preventing incidents

Bridge procedures and watchkeeping:

International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the Bridge Procedures Guide, 2007

Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Marine Guidance Note 315, Keeping a safe navigational watch on merchant vessels

BRM and the human element:

The Human Element, a guide to human behavior in the shipping industry, TSO, 2010

MGN 520 “The Deadly Dozen 12 Significant People Factors in Maritime Safety”

The Navigator “Bridge Resource Management”

Risk management:

Risk management in the national system, a practical guide, AMSA

Course structure and organisation

The course is designed to focus on practical bridge teamwork. Participating students are divided into bridge teams and are expected to function as teams both in the preparation and execution of the exercises. The lectures aim at providing a theoretical background and a foundation for the preparation and execution of compulsory simulation exercises. The preparation includes voyage planning, development of procedures, checklists, supporting documents and discussions on team performance.

Organisation	No.	Total time (h)	Recommended no. of students	Maximum no. of students	Teaching need
Lectures	16	34	n/a		1 lecturer
Simulator exercises	6	24	9	10	2 instructors
Preparatory work		Appr. 100
Total duration

Lectures

Moment	Code	Title	Hours
Lecture		Introduction	2
Lecture		Electronic Checklists	2
Lecture		Voyage planning	2
Lecture		ECDIS Voyage Planning	2
Lecture		Wärtsilä NPL/NS Introduction	2
Lecture		Making Sense	2
Lecture		The Bridge Team part 1	2
Lecture		The Bridge Team part 2	2
Lecture		Communication	2
Lecture		Bridge system set up and task delegation	2
Lecture		Working with Pilots and VTS	2
Lecture		Bridge procedures and training	2
Lecture		Taking Risks/Risk Assessment	2
Lecture		Critical situations and system denial	2
Lecture		TBD	2
Lecture		Decision making	2
Lecture		Fatigue and Stress	2
Total			34

Simulator exercises

Moment	Code	Title	Hours
SIM 1		Familiarization	4
SIM 2		Procedural training “Pilot Boarding”	4
SIM 3		Arrival Southampton	4
SIM 4		Departure Southampton	4
SIM 5		System denial	4
SIM 6		Tugboat assisted approach	4
Total			28

Assessment

• Approved hand-in assignments.
• Approved performance in the simulator exercises. The criteria for assessing and grading the performance are published for each simulator exercise. After each simulation exercise the team’s performance is discussed during the de-briefing. As a rule, the whole bridge team’s performance will be graded but individual assessment may be applied.

Part 1 Hand in assignments (3hp)

• Hand-in assignments related to preparatory work for the simulator exercises (checklists, voyage plans, task delegation, etc.) (U,G) (Learning outcome L1)
• Hand-in assignment of the complete voyage plan (U,G) (Learning outcome L1)

Part 2 Simulations (4,5hp) Simulator assessment

• (U,3,4,5) (Learning outcome L2, L3 and L4)

Evaluation

All courses at Chalmers are evaluated in several steps. As a student, you may at any time address the course responsible, one of the student representatives (see course home page) or anyone in the board or the programme owning the course with your feedback. During the course, the student representatives and the course responsible meet to discuss the progress of the course.

After or in the end of the course, an evaluation survey is sent out to all students registered at the course. We encourage you to fill the survey out regardless of what your opinions of the course are – the more feedback we get, the clearer we understand what has worked well and maybe less well in the course. The course survey is used at the course evaluation meeting, where the course responsible, student representatives and a programme board member meet to discuss what has works will in the course and if something should be changed for next course round. You can find the minutes from last year’s meeting at the following link: http://goo.gl/o4JjeC  

 

The following changes were implemented since the last course:

New course but based on previous SJM102/SJM107/SJM111.

Other information