For the pilot service has just completed a two-day seminar on safety with top US mariner and management expert Mr. Glen Paine, the first of its kind held on the Island.

Mr. Paine said yesterday: "The safety record in Bermuda is excellent, as it is with most pilots.

"The course is more preventative than anything else. The Island's pilots are very good -- this course will help them stay that way.'' Mr. Paine explained that even the best professionals when performing the same tasks over and over again can begin to treat their job as a routine.

He added: "But you don't want to get too complacent about what you are doing and this course was specially designed as a kind of wake-up call.'' Mr. Paine attended the US Merchant Marine Academy in New York and holds a Chief Officer's licence and has a Master's degree in Organisational Management.

He currently lectures at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies in Maryland.

The course he ran in Bermuda, attended by pilots, tug masters and senior harbour staff, used real-life incidents as a basis for discussion, allowing the students to work out what went wrong and how it could have been prevented.

Mr. Paine said: "They were accidents from America, but they could happen anywhere.

"It's all about getting people to use all the resources available for safety, increasing the margin of safety and trying to prevent human error from causing accidents.'' He added: "The Bermudians I saw were very receptive and the whole course went very well. They were very professional, forthright and excellent students and it was enjoyable teaching them.

"There was a lot of give and take -- it's not just me standing there lecturing.''