b'Continued from page 4: Letter from the Presidenttriggerstimelyalarms,enabling operatorstotakeevasiveaction well before a close-quarters situa-tion arises.Vessel identification: By hovering over a vessels icon on a chartplot-ter, the crew can immediately see its name, call sign, vessel type, and navigationalstatus.Thisallows forclear,directcommunication with other ships via VHF radio to coordinate maneuvers.Alltheseadvancementsamong others,inmyopinion,willdoex-actly what they are designed to do, improve safety and operational effi-ciency, and thats great. My concern isthatwiththenextgenerationof captains looking at so many screens in the pilothouse, will they have time to look out the window? Will they be confident in how to dock the vessel in30mphwindsiftheautomated system goes down? Will they be able to navigate the vessel in limited visi-bility without the aid of an automat-ic identification system? I am confident that they will, if they useinnovationasanaidandnota replacement for skill. Advanced tools shouldnotlowerthestandardsof what it means to be a competent cap-tain.Thefutureofmaritimesafety depends on finding the right balance. IsometimeswonderwhatCaptain ErnieHiggswouldthinkoftodays maritime world.Sincerely,Stephen JonesPVA President, 202553 SEPTEMBER 2025'