Manual marine generator synchronisation under automation failure: a dual SAGAT–SART study of situational awareness in a ship engine-room simulator

Shipboard automation in electrical power management has improved efficiency and reliability, but it has also fostered dependency that may erode essential manual competencies. Blackouts arising from failures in automatic standby generator start-up, synchronisation or load-sharing can rapidly result in propulsion and steering loss, heightening consequent collision and grounding risk, particularly in confined or congested waters. Ensuring that ship engineers retain manual synchronisation proficiency is therefore fundamental to navigation safety and to meeting IMO STCW competency requirements. This study explores and examines how maritime simulation-based training supports Situational Awareness (SA) and manual generator synchronisation under automation-failure conditions. Using a full-mission ship engine-room simulator, 31 maritime cadets and students performed emergency manual synchronisation following deliberate deactivation of the automatic system. A dual-layer SA assessment is combined by adopting the Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT) with the Situation Awareness Rating Technique (SART), complemented by objective simulator logs and instructor performance ratings. The findings demonstrate the value of dual-SA measurement in Maritime Education and Training. Incorporating instruments such as SAGAT and SART into STCW-aligned simulator curricula can reveal latent SA deficits that traditional checklist-based assessment may overlook and strengthen cognitive readiness for automation-failure events that directly affect navigation-safety for bridge and engine teams.