Splitting Sleep Can Be Beneficial For Towing Vessel Crew Members

A new study revealed that currently there is no scientific data to support a change in working hours for towing vessel crew members.

The study, conducted for the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, analyzed several recent studies suggesting that when sleep is split into more than one period per day, performance is comparable, and in some cases, better than when the same duration of sleep is obtained in a single sleep period.

“The TRB study is the latest contribution to a growing body of scientific research in multiple transportation modes that demonstrates that splitting sleep into two periods can be a safe and effective way to manage fatigue in 24/7 operating environments like the tugboat, towboat and barge industry,” American Waterways Operators Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Carpenter said in a statement.

Regulatory changes to hours of service “are not likely to be the most effective way to increase sleep durations and improve sleep quality,” according to the study, which presents a suite of “evidence-based best practices to improve sleep on schedules requiring a split-sleep period.”

The study recommends that these best practices be linked together by a fatigue risk management system developed as part of a towing vessel’s safety management system.

The study was hailed by the American Waterways Operators, which has been working with its members and the Coast Guard to prevent and manage fatigue risks in our industry for nearly two decades.

“We look forward to working with the Coast Guard and our other government partners to incorporate the TRB study recommendations into our ongoing efforts to ensure that towing vessel crewmembers consistently obtain the quantity and quality of sleep they need to do their jobs safely and to optimize crewmembers’ sleep and endurance within existing industry watch schedules,” Ms. Carpenter added.

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