- Studies show that there has been a large reduction in drinking at sea.
Accidents involving alcohol can be very serious, but they do not happen as often anymore.
Now the fatigue is a bigger problem on the ships, says Michael Manuel.
He describes how previous catastrophic accidents where the crew was accused of sea drunkenness made the world act.
Today, there are international laws for alcohol consumption at sea.
Michael Manuel also believes that ship accidents have generally decreased in recent years.
In part, he believes it has to do with the fact that we have better equipment for mapping each other's positions at sea.
- If you compare the number of accidents with how extensive the boat traffic is today, it is a very small percentage we are talking about, says Michael Manuel, professor at World Maritime University.
How to know that the rules are followed
- The companies that own the ships must have policies for drugs and alcohol and we can see that the majority of ships go in that direction, says Michael Manuel.
According to him, there are several ways to ensure that the rules are followed.
Among other things, inspections with alcohol meters can be carried out at any time - both at sea and when the ship is in port.
Officers on board also have a responsibility to keep track of the crew.