Flag states and safety: 1997-1999

This paper examines the casualty rates of flag states in order to determine whether Flags of Convenience have a worse record than other types of register. The analysis uses the Lloyd's casualty database for the years 1997-1999. The data reveal that FOCs do, indeed, have a worse record than either second/international registers and national flags, but that there are considerable variations within the FOC group itself. This leads the authors to conclude that it is the newer, faster growing FOCs that are most likely to have inferior records to other flag states, and that this is due to the very nature of their, largely profit-making, regimes.     

我国液化气船舶的现状与安全控制

随着液化气船舶的发展,涉及液化气船的风险也越来越大,充分重视此类船舶的安全管理已经成为当前的重要课题。从液化气船的风险分析,提出利用“人—机—环境—控制”的观点,结合安全管理体系的正常运行作为“控制”的手段,从而实现对液化气船舶风险的控制,达到预控式管理目的,提高液化气船舶安全管理水平。     

Flag state performance: An empirical analysis

Based on data available in mid-2006, the five cooperating international institutions of shipping — BIMCO, Intertanko, Intercargo, ICS, and ISF — produced a summary of factual information on 106 flag states. These international institutions intentionally avoided drawing conclusions on underperformance. This paper extends this assessment allowing for an in-depth empirical assessment of flags performance. Towards this end, the analysis uses weight factors reflecting the importance that an operator might wish to attach on the different variables before making his flag choice, and seeks to statistically (un)group ‘conventionally’ grouped flag states performance. The paper also examines whether IMO membership and/or active participation in the IMO is associated with a greater compliance of a flag-state to safety and relevant environment rules and thus to a better performance. The findings challenge the classic outright categorization of national flags as good performing ones and of commercial flags as those performing badly. The findings also support the suggestion that an active IMO participation, rather than a simple membership, enhances flag performance.     

British OSV companies in the North Sea, 1964-1997

In the mid 1960s the world OSV industry was dominated by American operators, but with the rise of the North Sea offshore industry, British entrepreneurs were given the chance to contest American dominance. By the mid 1970s British OSV companies had made great progress and, at least in the North Sea context, their principal rivals were now the Norwegians rather than the Americans. British OSV companies continued to prosper until the world oil price collapse of 1986. This blow led to a restructuring of the British OSV industry, which led, by the mid-1990s, to Stirling Shipping being the principal British OSV firm in the North Sea and OIL being the largest non-American OSV company in the world. The 1997 sale of OIL to the Americans was a blow to the British OSV sector, but British enterprise in this field still continues in the North Sea.     

A review of passenger rail franchising in Britain: 1996/1997-2006/2007

This paper reviews 10 years of passenger rail franchising in Great Britain and highlights problems in three areas: the tension between commercial and social objectives; the presence of risks and uncertainty; and vulnerability to strategic behaviour such as low-balling, chiselling and back loading. It concludes that franchising has had some good features (such as the high level of competitive pressure) but also some bad features (such as a high rate of franchise failures). In addition, an ugly feature of franchising is the scope for strategic behaviour. Further reform is suggested based on a distinction between commercial and social franchises.     

Maritime policy making for flag states: Forecasting safety/detention performance with the use of time series analysis

In this paper time series univariate forecast methods and analysis of time series is used in an innovative way, with the intention of assisting the flag state administrators to map and predefine their shipping quality policy. In general, given the number of ships detained by Port State Control (PSC) and corresponding inspections of the flag fleet for the same period of time, one is able to forecast the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Paris MoU) excess factor of any flag state for a selected time window. Thus, depending on the goals of each flag state administration, one can judge their feasibility (e.g. remain in the Paris MOU White List or achieve an excess factor of —1 etc) and determine whether to enhance the safety measures or not. The method is first developed and discussed on an abstract basis to set the theoretical background, a combination of time series analysis and practical engineering philosophy. Then the study focuses upon the Cyprus Flag figures in Paris MOU ports, only to demonstrate its effectiveness but can in any case be applied upon any given flag. The application of the method suggested, combined with expert judgment, could result in a significant improvement of the flag quality.     

最低安全配员:安全与效率的最佳组合

2006年5月1日实施的新版《船舶最低安全配员表》从七个部分调整了《中华人民共和国船舶最低安全配员规则》(2004年第7号令)附件1、2、3所规定的内容。新版配员表进一步细化了内河船舶分档,对较大吨位船舶配员标准略有提高,较小吨位船舶配员标准略有降低,客船配员标准区别于其它类型船舶,为进一步规范船员配备,保障船舶安全航行起到了关键作用。     

断缆--系泊中的安全隐患

通过对断缆事故的案例进行分析，提出了如何保持缆绳均衡受力、加强值班人员的责任心来保证船舶安全的措施，以防止类似事故的发生。     

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.     

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.     

游艇产业:安全与发展并重

作为世界第三大经济体,中国经济的快速增长为游艇经济在我国的发展注入强大动力。游艇产业正成为我国新的经济增长点,多个城市将游艇产业列入未来城市发展目标,游艇产业正以前所未有的速度迅猛发展。但是,我们必须清醒地看到,我国的游艇产业发展还处     

Tanker safety: Regulatory change

There are many regulatory changes being imposed on tanker operators of new and existing ships. This paper provides a brief on the main changes and their practical impact on design and operation i.e. the significant recent and upcoming revisions to IMO MARPOL Annexes I, II and VI, SOLAS and other regulations and the IACS Common Structural Rules.     

船旗国监督检查中对船舶维护保养之体系缺陷的检查和处理

该文通过对船旗国监督检查中船舶维护保养方面缺陷的进一步分析,试图找出缺陷背后船舶和岸基管理在船舶安全营运和防止污染管理体系运行方面存在的具体问题,一方面指导海事执法人员在船旗国监督检查中有效履行职责,另一方面也指导船舶管理公司和船长落实安全生产主体责任,有效运行船舶安全管理体系,切实提升船舶安全营运水平.     

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.     

Exploring the effects of passenger rail franchising in Britain: Evidence from the first two rounds of franchising (1997-2008)

This paper provides an up-to-date review of the previous literature concerning the impact of passenger rail franchising on productivity and costs in Britain, and also presents important new evidence. In particular, the extension in time of previously-used datasets offers the first opportunity to study the impacts of re-franchising. The previous literature emphasised the failure of franchising to produce sustained productivity gains, with a sharp deterioration in productivity after 2000. The new evidence presented offers a somewhat more positive view of the British experience. It suggests that part of what was previously considered to be falling productivity may in fact be due to exogenous changes in diesel prices. Further, new data suggests that the recent increases in costs have resulted in higher quality of service. Finally, competitive re-franchising, and the associated unwinding of short-term management and re-negotiated contracts, seems to have led to improvements in productivity between 2006 and 2008. Nevertheless, it remains the case that passenger rail franchising in Britain has failed to reduce costs in the way experienced in many other industries and in rail in other European countries. The evidence is that somewhat larger franchises, avoiding overlapping and optimising train density and length, should reduce costs. We also speculate that the major increase in wages and conditions of staff might be moderated by longer franchises, although that remains to be proved. This re-appraisal of the British case is important in the context of the wider international interest in the use of franchising in passenger rail, and its relevance to the current review of ways of introducing competition into the domestic rail passenger market in Europe.     

交通部海事局下发《关于吸取菲律宾"太阳1号"轮事故教训进一步加强油轮安全和防污染管理的通知》

2006年5月11日,菲律宾国家石油公司租赁的“太阳1号”油轮在奎马拉群岛附近海域失事沉没,导致该海域最近开始出现大量溢油,造成该地区迄今为止最为严重的油污染事件,奎马拉省日前宣布该省处于灾难状态。目前,菲律宾政府已要求菲律宾国家石油公司采取一切措施防止油污进一步扩大     

条件控制在提高吸粮机安全性能的应用

分析了广州港新沙港务公司吸粮机上存在的安全隐患,提出了解决问题的办法,实施后取得良好的效果。     

Trust and safety onboard

Shipping is a high-risk industry. The aims of this conceptual paper are to build a framework showing in what way safety onboard is influenced by trust, and to identify the main obstacles to trust-building within the shipping industry. To meet these aims, a literature review and a pilot study are conducted. The study shows that interpersonal trust from employees to managers, and among seafarers, seems to be a prerequisite and an indirect factor, or mediating variable, that influence safety-related organizational outcomes positively and seems to reduce human errors. Interpersonal trust seems to be most valuable in weak situations, which means situations that are not critical and when no exact guidance or incentives to behave in a particular way are needed. An optimal level of trust exists onboard, and because of the high-risk environment, this optimal level of trust is expected to be relatively high. The main obstacles to trust within the shipping industry seem to be the dual employment practice, the physical distance between onboard, crewing agency and onshore, the reduced competence requirements, the frequent reorganization of the crew and multiculturalism. The paper contributes to the trust and to the safety literature by a new framework and to the development of 11 hypotheses on trust and safety. Finally, the paper is indicating that trust may be the missing piece in the safety puzzle.     

引航与船舶安全

从引航与船舶安全的关系入手，对与此相关的问题逐一进行阐述，讨论引航对保证船舶安全的重要意义。