Survival through coping strategies for resilience following a ship accident in polar waters

Abstract

On 19 June 1989, the cruise liner Maksim Gorkiy hit an ice floe southwest of Svalbard. The passengers and parts of her crew abandoned the ship. In a massive rescue operation 953 crew and passengers were rescued, in addition to the ship. This is only one of several examples of serious ship accidents in polar waters.

The aim of the article is to study coping strategies for resilience among a group of crew members and passengers taking part in the SARex2 exercise, coping strategies that may contribute to a group’s survival following a ship accident and the subsequent evacuation of the ship.

The empirical findings stem from participant observation during SARex2 in Svalbard in 2017, a review of the requirements specified in the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (IMO, 2014) and a literature review on the special challenges of operating in these waters. The theoretical lenses are teamwork, sense making and resilience.

The article starts with a presentation of the challenges of operating in polar waters, as well as some relevant parts of the Polar Code. Then the conceptual framework of the study is presented, followed by information on the SARex2 exercise and methodology. Then follows a discussion of coping strategies for resilience following a ship accident in these waters. Finally, some concluding remarks are presented, on how to transfer a group of crew members and passengers into a team required for survival after a ship accident and the subsequent evacuation of the ship in polar waters.