English is the language of seafarers
Standardisation is to simplify understanding

It was the confusion of tongues that doomed the construction of the Tower of Babel to failure. Too many people spoke in too many languages – and they could no longer understand each other. The world of shipping also involves seamen with almost as many different mother tongues as there are different countries on this earth. It was therefore necessary for the seamen to agree on how to communicate with each other. Over the last approx. 200 years, English has established itself as the lingua franca at sea. There´s a reason for that:

”Deficits in communications account for up to 35 % of ships’ accidents”, estimates Prof. Dr. Peter Trenkner, expert for maritime communications at the Hochschule in Wismar. Grave were the consequences of a fire on the ferry”Scandinavian Star” in the Skagerrak in 1990, in which 161 people lost their lives because there had been practically no communications from the crew. In another accident, there was a breakdown in communication between the engineer and the bridge – instead of just a fire in the engine the result was a total loss of the ship, reports Trenkner. Also in the case of collisions, the causes are often difficulties in understanding.

At the beginning of the 1990s, an increase in the frequency of accidents that are ascribed to faulty communications induced the IMO to set up a workgroup to develop a standardised safety language for shipping. This workgroup was headed by Trenkner. From 1997 to 2000 some 3,000 phrases were tried out world-wide, further simplified and finally reduced to 1,700. In 2001, the SMCP – Standard Marine Communication Phrases – were finally published by the IMO and these were also made binding. Previously standard sentences in English had been prescribed in the training guidelines STCW.

All fields of activity in daily maritime routine and above all in emergency situations are covered by the SMCP. Whether it is a question of spelling, of the cargo or of on-board communications through to emergencies: Uniform schemes for questions and answers or instructions – for both internal and external communications – are standardized throughout. A comprehensive glossary is also provided. The language of the SMCP is frequently very simple.”You don’t get a Nobel Prize for Literature for this”, says Trenkner. But meanwhile, SMCP has even found acceptance in the English-speaking area; and in Asia, where people often have their problems with the English language, it is greatly welcomed. In the meantime there are also electronic teaching aids, which are designed above all to promote correct pronunciation. After five years of experience with the new phraseology, the comments in reaction to SMCP are shortly to be evaluated, states Trenkner with regard to the present state of progress. Every two years the English teachers from the high schools and universities also meet up at the”International Maritime English Conference” (IMEC), next to be held in Rotterdam (Netherlands) in October 2007.

Hanseatic Lloyd also attaches great importance to English language skills. Cooperations exist in this field with two schools. In Novorossiysk for seamen from the Russian-speaking area on the tankers and in Yangon in Myanmar (formerly Burma) for the crews of the container ships.

In Novorossiysk, separate English courses – 60 hours of conversational English – for the crew members of the Hanseatic Lloyd tankers have been held since spring 2006.”The course is intended to overcome our people’s fear of the language, there is no final examination” stresses Hans-Peter Esch, responsible for crewing the tanker fleet at Hanseatic Lloyd. Esch selected the teacher who exclusively trains the Hanseatic Lloyd people in groups of max. ten people in Novorossiysk.”She speaks English almost without an accent”, comments Esch, who himself lived in England for many years. This course of training is to be held once a year. A further course for maritime English, also comprising 60 hours is envisaged for officers if any need for this is apparent from their Fitness Reports.

The crews of the container ships learn English at the Training Centre in Yangon in Myanmar. First of all weak points in the people’s English language skills are analysed and then systematic exercises make for improvements. Written and oral language skills as well as visual and aural understanding are then monitored according to the standards of the IMO and of the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency. On board the ships, English language skills are also included in the periodical Fitness Reports. Deficiencies are thus detected and can be taken into account for further training.

Of course the expectations with regard to the English language skills of the crew also depend on their duties and rank. To overcome reticence vis-à-vis the language, Hanseatic Lloyd recommends everyone on board: Practise speaking English daily!

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