A Study on the Effectiveness of Crew Rotation System using Simulation

The crew rotation system is an operation concept in which multiple teams or crews are assigned to one ship to perform missions in rotation. It is currently implemented in the U.S., Japan, and some ships of the Korean Coast Guard. Despite the advantage of improving the operation rate of a ship while reducing crew fatigue, only conceptual studies have been conducted by the Korean Navy. This study used simulations to compare the mission completion rate, shipload ratios, and crew load ratios before and after applying the crew rotation system. The target of the research was a Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin class ship, one of the main battleships of the Korean Navy, which is also assigned to many overseas missions, such as the Cheonghae unit dispatchment, and midshipmen cruise training. The application of a crew rotation system had no side effects in completing the assigned mission. In addition, the shipload and crew load ratios decreased in the number of days of mission performance by 33 days and 42-47 days, respectively. Furthermore, applying the system ensures the resting conditions for crew members and reduces crew fatigue while securing training periods to maintain stable education and training. As a result, it is expected that mission performance will be improved. On the other hand, the crew rotation system goes against the Navy's culture of the crew having a strong bond of fate with their ship. Nevertheless, the actual implementation of the system is difficult considering problems, such as ship maintenance must be transferred to a dedicated repair department on land and the extensive cost required to expand the dedicated facilities and personnel. This study is meaningful because stimulations were used to provide the framework for the quantitative results required to establish related policies in the future.