Accident precursors and safety nets: leading indicators of tanker operations safety

Leading indicators, one type of accident precursor, are conditions, events or measures that precede an undesirable event and that have some value in predicting the arrival of the event, whether it is an accident, incident, near miss, or undesirable safety state. Leading indicators are associated with proactive activities that identify hazards and assess, eliminate, minimize and control risk. An empirical analysis of leading indicators of safety for an international energy transportation company was undertaken, utilizing a previously validated research model. Quantitative safety performance and qualitative safety culture data were obtained from 943 participants on 37 vessels from three fleets in the organization. Organizational, vessel and individual safety factors and leading indicators were identified and an analysis of fleet, vessel, and individual safety cultures was undertaken. The results indicate that individual and vessel-level leading indicators can provide important input to an organization's continuous safety measuring and monitoring systems.     

Factors affecting tanker safety

The major factors influencing tanker safety are discussed. For the discussion information has been gleaned from maritime labour officials, industry experts and a recent United States Coast Guard study on tanker safety. Results of other tanker safety studies and/or accident reports are also utilized. Some of the factors analysed are the size and age of vessel, licence qualifications for mates and engineers and manning levels. Other factors are those related to or attributed to flags of convenience and the pressure to maintain shipping schedules.     

浮动核电站安全壳泄漏率指标分配

[目的]为了探索船用堆安全壳整体和局部泄漏率水平,明确安全壳密封性试验验收准则标准,并开展安全壳周围舱室的气载放射性物质浓度分析。[方法]基于陆上核电站安全壳密封性试验标准,根据"标准分析-提出指标-验证指标"的总体思路,开展浮动核电站泄漏率指标分配、泄漏率计算和可行性分析研究。[结果]结果表明,设计基准事故工况下,浮动核电站安全壳整体泄漏率应控制在3‰/24 h左右,B类和C类贯穿件泄漏率分配分别占整体泄漏率的10%和50%;在试验工况下,安全壳整体泄漏率考虑25%的设计余量。[结论]泄漏率数值分析计算结果满足指标要求,并具有较好的设计余量,对明确安全壳密封性试验验收准则具有重要参考价值。     

Shipboard safety: exploring organizational and regulatory factors

ABSTRACT

How vessel crews perceive safety on board (shipboard safety) is a useful indication for the general safety level. In this study a theoretical model was explored, involving factors that could possibly influence shipboard safety. Based on a survey questionnaire (n = 244), safety climate, shipowner efficiency demands and regulatory activities were investigated as influencing factors. Structural equation modelling gave support to the theoretical model and the findings illustrate that simultaneous involvement of various levels of the maritime system (crews, shipowners, regulators) can be effective for safety improvements. The study indicates that shipboard safety is affected by actions and prioritization by external actors through safety climate. It suggests that the maritime industry will profit from monitoring safety climate as part of the ongoing risk considerations, as a supplement to reactive parameters such as accident statistics.     

Determinants of the damage cost and injury severity of ferry vessel accidents

This study investigates determinants of the property damage cost and injury severity of ferry vessel accidents. Detailed data of individual ferry vessel accidents for the 11-year timeperiod 1991–2001 that were investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard are used to estimate ferry-vessel accident property damage cost and injury severity equations. Tobit regression is used to estimate the former equation and the ordered probit model is used to estimate the latter. Property damage costs include damage costs to the vessel itself, its cargo and contents, and other-property damage (e.g., damage to pier structures and waterfront facilities). Injury severity for a ferry vessel accident is measured as an ordinal variable — no injuries, non-fatal injuries and fatal injuries. Damage cost and injury severity of individual ferry vessel accidents are expressed as functions of the type of vessel accident, vessel characteristics, vessel operation phase, weather/visibility conditions, type of waterway, type of vessel propulsion, type of vessel hull construction and cause of vessel accident. The property damage estimation results suggest that allision, collision and fire ferry vessel accidents incur more vessel property damage cost per vessel gross ton than other types of accidents. The injury severity estimation results suggest that injury severity is greater when the ferry vessel accident is caused by human error as opposed to vessel and environmental factors.     

A disaggregated tool for evaluation of road safety policies

This paper presents a methodological disaggregated approach to analyze the impact of interventions on road safety. The model aims to describe the accident rates of an individual using mileage as a measure of risk exposure. The model is formulated as a system of equations that takes into account interactions between the mileage of a given individual and the other drivers. Once estimated, the model acts as a simulator allowing us to measure the performance of policy interventions to increase road safety.     

渔船与商船碰撞事故原因分析

通过对大连港1991～2001年渔船与商船事故的统计,从事故等级、能见度、发生时间、地点、船舶等5个方面进行分析,总结出人的因素是导致事故发生的主要原因。故从严进行船员培训、提高船员素质、加强对船员的责任心教育、有效实施对船员的管理,是降低事故发生率、使航行更安全的有效途径。     

Part 3. Multivariate road safety models: Future research orientations and current use to forecast performance

The third part of the state-of-the-art focuses on the future of road safety modeling and on conjectures concerning the evolution of national safety indicators. In the absence of econometric developments specific to road safety modeling, the research future must rely on pre-existing statistical procedures of econometrics applied to discrete/count and to aggregate data. In terms of contents, growing interest in the heterogeneity of road accident outcomes by category of victims could lead to treatments of this issue across research streams, say by top-down and bottom-up developments, but this speculation does not rest on extant adequate formulations of the issue of road user class and victim analysis. But understanding the time profile of aggregate national performance indicators is quite another matter.     

压水堆SBO事故及高压安全注射系统的缓解能力研究

以瑞典Ringhals压水堆核电站为参考对象,采用最佳估算程序SCDAP/RELAP5/MOD3.2,建立典型的3环路压水堆严重事故计算模型,分析全厂断电(SBO)事故造成的堆芯熔化进程,研究高压安全注射系统对该事故的缓解能力。计算结果表明,堆芯出口温度达到920 K时的严重事故管理策略,即卸压充水缓解措施可以有效地阻止堆芯熔化,能使堆芯长期处于稳定状态。     

A method for extracting key performance indicators from maritime safety management norms

The maritime transportation industry currently employs several mandatory and non-mandatory norms of organizational safety management. These safety norms are commonly included in integrated maritime safety management systems, which aim at developing, monitoring, controlling and improving the safety of all related shipping operations. These systems are typically evaluated by following key performance indicators, which enable defined measures for various safety management components. However, the identification of indicators addressing safety management requirements constitutes a complex and generally unsystematic process for safety managers in the maritime industry. This article proposes a new method to assess the guidelines available in maritime safety management norms. The proposed method is applied to assess the content of two maritime safety management norms. The aim of this assessment is to identify a set of maritime safety management indicators that can systematically measure the most relevant components of maritime safety management. The application of this method resulted in the identification of 53 key performance indicators for monitoring and reviewing 23 identified safety management components that are commonly integrated into the functioning of maritime safety management systems. The method proposed provides guidance to accurately capture the actual aim and function of the key performance indicators. Furthermore, the indicators and safety components obtained with this method can be adopted as the basis for a safety management system and/or for the analysis of a safety management system already established in the industry.     

Evaluating air emission inventories and indicators from cruise vessels at ports

This paper provides an estimation of air emissions (CO₂, NO_X, SO_X and PM) released by cruise vessels at the port level. The methodology is based on the “full bottom-up” approach and starts by evaluating the fuel consumed by each vessel on the basis of its individual port activities (manoeuvring, berthing and hoteling). The Port of Barcelona was selected as the site at which to perform the analysis, in which 125 calls of 30 cruise vessels were monitored. Real-time data from the automatic identification system (AIS), factor emissions from engine certificates and vessel characteristics from IHS Sea-web database were also collected for the analysis. The research findings show that the most appropriate indicators are inventory emissions per “port-time gross tonnage”, “port-time passenger” and “port time”. These emission indicators improve our understanding of cruise emissions and will facilitate the work that aims to estimate reliably and quickly the in-port ship emission inventories of cruise ports.     

ISM Code implementation: an investigation of safety issues in the shipping industry

Acknowledging that shipping safety continues to be a major topic of interest in the maritime community, the present study attempts to identify the critical factors of International Safety Management (ISM) Code implementation, to identify the dimensions that describe whether the ISM Code has fulfilled its intended purpose as well as to assess their interrelationships. Moreover, the present study aims to explore whether the fulfillment of the Code’s intended purpose is associated with accident reduction. Evidence was drawn from a sample of 63 masters and chief officers who have hands-on onboard experience on ISM Code implementation and data were analyzed through the use of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), correlation analysis, and binomial logistic regression. Findings indicate that the critical factors of ISM Code implementation can be categorized in the crew-related and the company-related dimensions. Also, the fulfillment of the intended purpose of the ISM Code consists of the factors of safety management system efficiency and increased safety, which were also found to be significantly associated with the crew-related dimension of ISM Code implementation. Finally, results showed that both safety management system efficiency and increased safety increase the probability of accident reduction at the highest level.     

Improving operational safety during icebreaker operations

The study presented in this paper aims at investigating what safety measures that can be taken to improve the operational safety during icebreaker operations in the Baltic Sea. During icebreaker operations, the icebreaker and the assisted vessel operate in close proximity to each other, a distance which can be even smaller if weather and ice conditions are severe. This poses a severe threat to the operation, since the extremely short distance between the vessels leaves no room for error. The results, which are based on data collected through individual interviews and questionnaires, indicate several possible improvements. Firstly, on a regulatory level, the introduction of an ice navigation certificate for deck officers would set a minimal level of formal competency. Secondly, on a knowledge level, more ice navigation training and better language skills work in favour for the safety. Thirdly, on a technical level, having an electronic chart with target tracking capability increases the efficiency and safety of the passage through ice. In addition to these results, this study shows a need to further research the communication and language situation during icebreaker operations.     

Design and implementation of a visual monitoring system to ensure safety in the water surrounding a container vessel

Container vessels navigate among the world's ports, frequently passing through narrow and congested waters. Due to the many layers of containers on a container vessel's decks, it is difficult for the crew to be aware of all fishing vessels and other obstacles in a container vessel's radar observation blind zone. This greatly increases the risk of collisions and other accidents. Given such great challenges to safe navigation and safety management with container vessels, their security risks are severe. An effective visual monitoring system can improve the safety of the water area surrounding container vessel by eliminating a vessel's observation blind zone, providing an effective safety measure for vessels navigating fishing zones and other troublesome areas. The system has other functions, such as accident recording, ship security, and monitoring of loading and unloading operations, thus ensuring the ship operates safely. Six months' trial operation showed that the system facilitates safe navigation of container vessels.     

Global regimes,regional adaptation; environmental safety in Baltic Sea oil transportation

Despite significant efforts to improve environmental safety in marine oil transportation, the risk of a major accident with devastating oil spills has most likely increased. Building on the regime analytical approach where it is assumed that international collaboration may benefit participating countries, it is argued that bilateral and sub-regional initiatives may increase maritime safety significantly, compared to exclusive reliance on universal conventions. A distinction is made between on the one hand investments in safety-increasing infrastructure and local capacity building and on the other, vessel design, on-board installations and crew qualifications. It is suggested that bilateral and sub-regional initiatives are more likely to be taken on the former kind of objects, targeting issues, such as modernization of port facilities, monitoring support, assistance in emergency capacity building and designation of ports of refuge, because the interaction between the involved countries are comparably stable in the cases. Actual efforts to improve safety seem to follow the logic of separation between these two types of safety-increasing measures. It is concluded that similar drivers of bilateral and sub-regional initiatives targeting specific aspects of marine safety and contributing to overall collective benefits from improved environmental protection probably exist also in other regions than the Baltic Sea.     

超大型船舶栈桥码头安全系泊技术试验研究

系泊安全问题,随着超大型船舶运输和开敞式深水泊位的出现日益显得重要。这类事故不但造成船舶的重大损失,还直接威胁港口的安全。本文以模型试验为基础,对影响系泊安全的各相关因素进行了定量测试,获得了大量数据,再根据实地潮流资料,对中国远洋运输公司“普安海”轮系泊北仑港和宝钢主原料码头时所受的流压力的数值范围进行了估算。最后本文列出系泊安全的技术措施,为船舶安全生产和码头泊位设计提供了参考依据。     

The safety of ferries: an accident injury perspective

This study investigates determinants of fatal and non-fatal injuries in ferry vessel accidents. Poisson regression estimates indicate that fatal and non-fatal injuries are 3.35 and 4.46% higher for fire/explosion than for material/equipment failure or grounding accidents, and 3.13 and 3.38% higher for multi-vessel than for single-vessel accidents. Non-fatal injuries are higher when the weather is foggy but less at night and the older the ferry. Estimated marginal effects indicate that every 100 fire/explosion accidents result in 6.1 fatal injuries, while each fire/explosion accident results in approximately one non-fatal injury.     

The safety of ferries: an accident injury perspective

This study investigates determinants of fatal and non-fatal injuries in ferry vessel accidents. Poisson regression estimates indicate that fatal and non-fatal injuries are 3.35 and 4.46% higher for fire/explosion than for material/equipment failure or grounding accidents, and 3.13 and 3.38% higher for multi-vessel than for single-vessel accidents. Non-fatal injuries are higher when the weather is foggy but less at night and the older the ferry. Estimated marginal effects indicate that every 100 fire/explosion accidents result in 6.1 fatal injuries, while each fire/explosion accident results in approximately one non-fatal injury.     

福州港闽江通海航道航行综合安全评估

以福州港船舶交通现状为基础,应用综合安全评估方法,分析福州港闽江通海航道水域船舶航行安全,提出相应的风险控制方案和决策性建议,以保障和提高福州港闽江通海航道船舶航行的安全性。     

Evaluating Boating Safety Risk in Intracoastal Waterways

Growth in the number of recreational vessels that use inland and coastal waterways, coupled with the diversity of boating activities, results in increased boating-related conflicts, accidents, and fatalities. This situation has led to numerous requests from boaters, shorefront property owners, waterfront businesses, and local governments for the imposition and enforcement of boating safety speed zones within Florida's Intracoastal Waterways. A decision-support framework that incorporates Geographic Information Systems (GIS)–based risk assessment was developed to assist the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Division of Law Enforcement evaluate requests and applications for the establishment of boating safety zones, pursuant to the Florida Administrative Code Rule 68-D-23.105 “Criteria for Approval of Regulatory Markers.” The risk assessment uses geospatial data compiled from multiple government agencies, survey data from subject matter experts, and public input from participatory workshops. Relevant spatial data includes waterway features and marine infrastructure from field surveys, vessel traffic patterns observed and mapped from aerial reconnaissance, and indicators of boater behaviors extracted from accident and citation reports. The outcome is a characterization of waterway segments according to perceived risk to boating safety. The application was tested in two Florida counties and it helped guide the establishment of new, and the revision of existing, boating regulatory zones within their Intracoastal Waterways. The application design is such that it is adaptable to waterways beyond those in Florida.