The capability paradox: why a more digital bridge is a more demanding one

A GPS offset that nobody noticed shows how digital systems can quietly create a false sense of security on the modern bridge, even with visual references, radar overlay and routine position checks available. This article examines how a more digital bridge has also become a more cognitively demanding one, and what that means for the crews running it.

A tanker approaching port called for the pilot, believing it was in the correct position, only to be told it was not.

When the bridge team checked, they found that the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) had a Global Positioning System (GPS) offset, and the vessel was about five miles further offshore than they had accounted for.

“I would have been embarrassed if it were me. I would have felt humiliated as a master if I didn’t know where my ship was,” said Alexander McDonald.

What made it more concerning was that no one on the bridge had noticed, despite having visual references, radar overlay, and routine position checks available. Alexander McDonald, a Coastal Tanker Master, recalled it as a mistake influenced by digital tools that has stayed with him.

For McDonald, the issue was not solely with the equipment, but also in what it revealed about modern bridge operations. Digital systems can be effective, but they can also create a false sense of security when bridge teams rely on them too much or fail to check what they are being told.

The last decade of bridge operations has seen a growth in digital technology alongside a fundamental shift in the operating reality. The bridge has moved from a workspace built around tools focused on navigational aids to an environment where information is constantly generated and exchanged across multiple systems.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) frames e-navigation as being an ongoing transition, determined by changing user requirements and continuing technical development. Similarly, ECDIS transitioned from being a specialist tool to a mandatory requirement as it was phased in from 2012 to 2018.

The tools and technology used onboard the bridge have become more central to how vessels operate. For some experienced mariners, the gains are obvious. As Hristo Hadzhiev, Master Mariner at V.Group, put it; “now it is much easier. You can drive the vessel like a car.”

However, ease of use in some areas does not mean the bridge has become simpler overall. The result is a bridge environment that is interconnected and more capable, but busier and more cognitively demanding than before. This raises questions about whether these systems consistently make it easier for crews to make decisions at sea or whether they also add new layers of difficulty to bridge crews’ work.

Digital navigation systems have improved the capabilities of modern bridge teams, but these improvements have changed the nature of bridge work.

Although the bridge is more digitally capable than before, it is also far more cognitively demanding.