Methodologies to determine, evaluate, and implement
prospective measures for preventing marine collisions and
groundings are presented. The use of cost-benefit analysis
to evaluate prospective safety measures is emphasized.
Prospective safety measures are represented as changes to
variables that relate to the life-cycle of an oil tanker.
Most of these variables, such as crew size and training, are
associated with the operational phase. A systems
engineering approach was used to develop a causal diagram
which models the influence of these variables on a tanker's
accident risk and profitability.
The practical application of cost-benefit analysis to
evaluate prospective safety measures is examined. The
benefit of a specific safety measure is presented as the
reduction of accident risk derived by implementing that
measure. Since human factors play a significant role in
most marine collisions and groundings, a risk analysis of
these accidents is largely a human reliability analysis. A
human reliability analysis is a special case of risk analysis, which emphasizes human factors.
The necessity of suitable data for conducting human
reliability analyses of tanker navigation is discussed.
Recommendations are offered to improve the quantity,
quality, and availability of such data.
The current economic climate inhibits the implementation
of safety measures in excess of established minimum
requirements. Reforms of marine insurance practices to
promote greater implementation of safety measures are
presented. These reforms create financial incentives by
firmly linking the cost of insurance to accident risk.
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