Sense of direction and identifying landmarks by students of maritime transportation

Abstract

Marine casualties are relatively small in number compared to other industrial accidents, but they cause enormous damage. Ship crews are continuously working in shifts, 24 hours a day, making the ship a place to live as well as work. Ideally, marine casualties should not occur from occupational hazards. To prevent casualties and ensure safe voyages, it is important to confirm ship positions using landmarks. It can be difficult for students, however, to identify landmarks by matching landscape views and nautical charts. Students have various levels of experience, proficiency, and training with these skills. Therefore, it is necessary to consider adapting teaching methods to efficiently correlate with individual student characteristics. This paper examines students’ abilities concerning their sense of direction and identifying landmarks in maritime transportation, using sketch map drawing and a questionnaire. The results suggest that students’ sense of direction was an important factor. Moreover, the need for new training methods corresponding to students’ sense of direction was also highlighted.