A new ship safety management approach – Learning from the past, managing future risks

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Cai, Wenkui | Konovessis, Dimitris^; | Vassalos, Dracos

Affiliations: ABS Consulting Singapore Pte Ltd, Singapore | School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanayang Technological University, Singapore | The Ship Stability Research Centre, Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK

Note: [] Corresponding author: Dimitris Konovessis, School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanayang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798. Tel.: +65 6790 4433; Fax: +65 6792 4062; E-mail: DKonovessis@ntu.edu.sg

Abstract: Learning from the past has been recognised as an effective means to manage future challenges. This is particularly true for ship safety management in the maritime industry as the records of historical safety-related failures are generally accompanied by the losses of human lives, damage to the environment and the ships. However, the current “learning” practice is not rationalised to facilitate effective safety management both from design and operational points of view. By proposing a unique approach of “learning from the past”, this paper elaborates on a formal methodology towards ship safety management so that future risk control decisions can be made in an objective, transparent, and well-informed manner.

Keywords: Ship safety management, risk assessment, learning from accidents, data mining, Bayesian networks

DOI: 10.3233/ISP-140112

Journal: International Shipbuilding Progress, vol. 61, no. 3-4, pp. 185-201, 2014