Safety culture in shipping

The emergence of a safety culture in shipping has been promoted, especially by the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization. However, what is really meant by a safety culture? The adoption of the International Safety Management Code and of the amended International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, STCW 95, together with the introduction of Formal Safety Assessment in the IMO rule making process are considered as the major tools contributing to the emergence of such. This article examines the evolution of the concept of maritime safety concept during the last decades and discusses how the adoption of new international instruments has contributed to improve the maritime safety system. It provides possible definitions of maritime safety and safety culture and discusses how far the maritime safety system is from a culture of safety.