Question

A ship repairing superintendent asks the shipyard’s project manager to put thick pint on a badly damaged pitted plate at bow part of the ship before an inspection of the

hull plate by the Class Surveyor. The project manager did not want to carry out this work as it is unethical but on the other hand the

shipping Company is a regular client of the shipyard. Finally, the ship sailed and a few months later, the ship sank due to collapse of the afore-mentioned damaged plates in rough seas.

According to the above,

1.What actions the project manager should have undertaken?

2. What went wrong?

3. What the ship superintendent should have not done?

4.How to resolve such a delicate decision-making scenario on a win-win situationby both parties?

Answer 1

1. The project manager should have convinced the manager of the long term consequences of the action, as the pint would not have lasted long. He should have told the superintendent, as to how it will affect the long term relationship with customers, if they discover it sooner or later.

2. The project manager agreed to put a pint as told by the superintendent without worrying about consequences. The faulty part gave in in the rough seas and ship sank.

3. Ship superintendent should have assessed the risk more thoroughly by taking expert opinion if he himself was less equipped to make a risk analysis. He should not have brushed the fault under carpet and would have let the truth be known to the surveyor. It might have taken some time and money but it would have prevented the ship from sinking.

4. Win win situation can be created by shipyard project manager by asking the superintendent to put the safety on top priority, and specialise on working on such jobs, which will prevent the manager from acting unethically on one hand, and also give the superintendent more business as a specialist repairer, and help to build a good rapport for the both parties with their partners.