LESSONS from pilotage accidents and avoiding hazards were features of the first morning of the Australasian Marine Pilots Institute conference in Darwin.
The AMPI Regional Ports & Pilotage Conference is being held at Darwin Convention Centre, with first morning speakers including ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell and Richard Robinson, director of engineering consulting firm R2A.
Mr Mitchell’s presentation focused on human capital in a world that is increasingly digital and dominated by AI.
Referencing the Gold Coast mid-air helicopter disaster that occurred in January 2023, Mr Mitchell spoke of the “what went wrong is easy. What we want is to understand ‘why it went wrong?”.
“What we are looking [is to ask], ‘how have you, as your organisation, captured the risk that you operate in?’ How have you managed it? How have you understood it? What have you put in place? Because they, ultimately, are human decisions.
“When we investigate, we look very much at humans,” Mr Mitchell said, noting examples from the world of aviation construction where human’s “making conscious decisions” were widely blamed for several high-profile disasters.
Richard Robinson from engineering firm R2A speaks in Darwin. Image: David Sexton/DCN
Addressing the conference on criticality and control, not hazard and risk, Mr Robinson, meanwhile, spoke about demonstrating that “every reasonable practical control was in place”.
Mr Robinson referenced a case in the High Court of New Zealand which recently dismissed the appeal of former Ports of Auckland chief executive Tony Gibson, upholding his criminal conviction and penalty for failing to exercise due diligence in the case of a stevedore crushed by a falling container in August 2020.
The courts ruled that Gibson had failed to demonstrate that every practical control was in place, Mr Robinson explained.
Earlier, AMPI president Josephine Clark welcomed delegates with an explanation of the role of AMPI and the importance of gatherings to share knowledge and compare experiences.
Darwin Port chief executive Peter Dummett also spoke about the role of Darwin as a maritime centre, the story of the Landbridge acquisition and their masterplan for future growth.