M/S Hamnen is a port security and control ship operating in Gothenburg harbor on behalf of the Port of Gothenburg. It has a variety of tasks that are performed both continuously and on demand. The tasks include surveillance and scanning of potential security hazards in the harbor, quayside security checks including scanning of the bottom and identification and removal of floating debris. The vessel also handles some representative duties when the city receives guests. M/S Hamnen is the ports foremost tool in performing unforeseeable operations in the harbor and upholding a safe and functional service of the port.

The system

When applying systems thinking to M/S Hamnen, it became apparent that the system consists of several subsystems with many interconnected elements. The focus of this project was the bridge as this is where the majority of interaction between operator and machine takes place during operation. This made subsystems at the bridge the main area of interest. Four such subsystems were identified; maneuvering, navigation, operation, and communication systems, all consisting of several separate elements. 

The system (below) show a snapshot of M/S Hamnen and it's sub-systems within the bridge. The elements outside constitute the wider system of interest, as they have a high level of influence over M/S Hamnen and its operation.

The expert operators were interviewed concerning M/S Hamnen in general, and three different use cases specifically. Various methods (such as the NASA-TLX evaluation & workflow mapping) were used to estimate the mental workload on the operator in each of the three use cases. The tasks ranged from very low to very high mental load, and several ergonomic deficiencies were found

These findings served as basis for proposed guidelines and recommendations for the rebuild of the bridge aboard M/S Hamnen. To exemplify how these guidelines could be adressed, two quick concepts were provided (example below)

Split dash concept - Additional lighting, alteration of equipment and instrument layout, added field of view and improved communication affordance from the helm.