Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Maritime Safety
Maritime Safety
Results from
the transport research programme
EUROPEAN
COMMISSION
This brochure was produced by the EXTRA consortium for DG Energy and Transport and represents
the consortium’s views on research relating to maritime safety. These views have not been adopted or in
any way approved by the Commission and should not be relied upon as a statement of the Commission's
or DG Energy and Transport's views.
The European Commission does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this brochure,
nor does it accept responsibility for any use made thereof.
References to some projects are included in this brochure, to help the reader access
further information quickly through the Knowledge Centre.
Information on the wider transport activities of the European Union is also available
on the Internet. It can be accessed through the Europa server
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/energy_transport/index_en.html).
Manuscript completed in August 2001.
Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2001
ISBN 92-894-1551-7
© European Communities, 2001
Cover pictures: Eureka Slide
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
Printed in Belgium.
MARITIME SAFETY
W
aterborne transport is a key player
in worldwide economics and
a fundamental tool in the shaping of
global society. More than 70 percent of
the European Union's external trade and
some 30 percent of the internal trade is
today handled by maritime transport.
It certainly represents an alternative to
congested road or delayed rail traffic.
2 3
KEY RESULTS
Research projects have a significant impact on
the design and implementation of maritime safety policy.
Some of the success stories are highlighted here.
A
dvanced Integrated Ship Control the safety and the efficiency viewpoint.
(ISC) systems are seen as vital in It has also fostered the establishment of
improving the competitiveness and a common European industrial platform
safety of ship operations. Research in support of an open systems’ architecture
and development has been carried out into for ships.
the design requirements of ship control
Marine accidents continue to result in "black boxes" on board ships will greatly
heavy loss of life and serious damage to improve the supply of reliable information.
the environment. One important aspect Research in this area has contributed
in the investigation, hence in significantly not only in developing
the prevention of accidents is the concept but also in specifying the
the identification and analysis of the testing standards of such equipment.
causal chain. The installation of maritime
AREAS OF RESEARCH
T
he main aim of research into
waterborne transport has been to
help policy-makers and to provide
the industry with safe, efficient and
competitive ways to carry freight and
passengers. In total, 55 research projects
and concerted actions were commissioned,
with a total EU contribution of 50 million
Euro. The research actions were divided into
five clusters:
• development of logistic concepts
and systems;
• introduction of innovative designs,
technologies and working practices for
safer ship operations;
• development of efficient traffic management
systems for sea and river operations;
• education, human factors and improvements
to the working environment; and © Eureka Slide, Louagie
4 5
INTEGRATED
SHIP CONTROL
R
esearch has contributed paying special attention to the integration
significantly to the enhanced design of information, ergonomics and human
of ship control centres in terms of factors.
both safety and efficiency, while
User-friendly and safe ship sea and weather routing and anti-collision
control centres 3 information tools. This conceptual
standard has been subjected to cost-
A conceptual standard has been benefit and safety analyses, including
produced for the design of ship control a risk assessment for collision and fire
centres, based on an open architecture. ignition scenarios. The ISC (Integrated
This includes recommendations on the Ship Control) concept has been
layout of future ship bridges, human- evaluated and confirmed against
machine interface considerations, and specific considerations of interoperability.
a so-called "tactical display" combining
As mentioned previously, the transport "black boxes" for recording data on board
research programme has played an important ships, and in particular in the specification
role in developing the concept of maritime and testing of such devices.
a recording unit,
The Maritime Black Box 4
an accident parameter acquisition
Based on an inventory of international unit, and
accident statistics, contributory factors, land-based evaluation software for
and the performance requirements for the recovery and interpretation of
voyage data recorders, the concept of recorded data.
a Maritime Black Box has been defined.
The system has been tested and validated
The modular black box concept
in a dedicated research project. Its
encompasses:
performance in meeting the specifications
was confirmed through scenario-based
simulations and laboratory tests. Sea
trials on a medium-size passenger liner
have further underlined the operational
suitability and robustness of the
prototype. The results obtained in the
tests and sea trials strongly contributed
to the definition of testing standards for
these devices.
Courtesy of Thomson CSF Detexis
Research has also established a common architecture for complete ship systems.
European approach in support of an open
6 7
SAFETY IN SHIP OPERATIONS
AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
S
chemes for analysing common
accidents and incidents in maritime
operations have been lacking
adequate attention to human and
organisational errors. Hence research has
developed methodologies for unbiased
data compilation and assessment with
the aim of a better integration of human
factors into accident investigations.
Casualty analysis 6
The promotion of a safety culture based on the adoption of the International Safety
a pro-active approach is considered essential Management (ISM) code and the use of
to improve safety in maritime transport. safety assessment techniques in the
This approach has been pursued through development of new rules and regulations.
Extensive international efforts have been for selected cases of dangerous cargo
made to improve the safety of ship transport, hence improving the knowledge
operations and prevent maritime pollution. base to help prevent future operational and
Research has supported these efforts accidental pollution.
through applying formal safety assessment
8 9
© Eureka Slide, S. Domelounksen
Risk assessment 9
The assessment of the levels of risk of Subsequent work used these risk
maritime accidents in busy coastal models to improve bridge and ship
waters, like the North Sea, as well as communications and data interpretation,
the identification of adequate control and provided:
options, have been addressed a review of problems with maritime
extensively. Based on the evaluation of communication and information
historical accident data, a Marine exchange;
Accident Risk Calculation System a structured hazard identification
(MARCS) was developed that enables process for the evaluation of risk
the quantification of risk levels for specific control measures;
maritime operations and the effect of test runs with maritime simulators to
risk control measures. A set of specific assess risk control measures, leading
risk models is now available that cover to improved training schemes for
aspects ranging from communication crew members; and
with Vessel Traffic Services (VTS), ship fault tree models for assessing
manoeuvring capabilities and navigational the effectiveness of risk control
aids, to human and organisational factors, measures and quantifying related
such as training schemes for crews. implementation costs.
MARITIME SAFETY
T
he European maritime industry is New technologies such as advanced
facing various difficulties. information systems could radically change
The reduction in European flagged operations and improve safety and efficiency,
tonnage has reduced career while creating a need for changes in
opportunities in the industry, consequently management in a sector that is strongly
recruitment has been difficult and insufficient influenced by tradition. Research has
to meet industry needs. There has been identified new ways of working that
strong price competition leading to an address these problem areas.
emphasis on cost reduction, which puts at
risk current efforts to improve safety, quality
and environmental performance.
10 11
Around 70% of maritime accidents are caused A comprehensive approach to the human
by human error and related organisational element is essential for safe ship operations.
procedures. Strong competition and high The declining number of well-qualified EU
social costs have led to the situation where seafarers is recognised as a problem,
merchant ships are frequently manned by particularly in terms of the loss of knowledge
less expensive crews, often with limited to the maritime industry as a whole.
education and training. In addition, adverse This needs to be tackled by increasing job
working conditions on board vessels can attractiveness.
reduce human performance, hence efficiency
and safety.
Training of ship crews can be done reliably exercises, addressing STCW 95 and other
for certain situations using ship or ship training objectives (e.g. for high-speed
bridge simulators. Research has identified vessels), management aspects, and
a wide variety of existing systems across the introduction of advanced tactical
Europe, covering both full mission and bridge displays. A comprehensive
component task types, with differing catalogue of scenarios is available as
features. Moreover, foreseen future a database, covering a range of training
developments, simulator availability and objectives, function levels and defined
suitability for training are not always competencies.
in line with training objectives based on
the Standards of Training, Certification The sociological and linguistic origins of
and Watchkeeping for Seafarers constraints on ship crew performance
(STCW 95). have also been investigated. Examples
of incidents and accidents related to
Therefore, one research project has communication problems in open seas
developed training scenarios, with or under pilotage indicate the need to
particular attention to human factors. consider language and cultural issues in
Specific topics include simulator-training the recruitment and training of ship crews.
© Eureka Slide, M. Loriaux
MARITIME SAFETY
12 13
ENHANCED
INFORMATION SERVICES
T
raditional Vessel Traffic Services to maximise the efficiency of waterborne
(VTS) focus on the management of transport, while again supporting safety
waterborne traffic in order to improve and environmental objectives. In particular,
navigation and safety. Innovative the VTMIS concept enables the integration
Vessel Traffic Management and of traffic and transport management, i.e.
Information Services (VTMIS) aim to provide the provision of information on traffic, cargo
real-time information and services in order flows and environmental conditions.
navigation have sought to apply the same to achieve full interoperability of different
principles, technologies and standards as on-board solutions which are tailor-made
for maritime transport. In the area of traffic for a given part of the transport chain, e.g.
management, this approach has led to the to have the same information displayed
concept of River Information Services (RIS) in high-seas, coastal zones, ports and
being developed. In parallel, the aim is inland waterways.
14 15
CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS
IN TRANSPORT RESEARCH
This section identifies current research projects in
the maritime transport sector addressing safety issues.
Further details are available from the Links section of
the web-based Knowledge Centre.
T
he transport research programme based on five broad themes:
has shown that the problems facing • ensuring the application of international
maritime transport need to be regulations, within the framework of port
addressed through a pro-active state control, to detect sub-standard vessels
approach to quality and safety encompassing and prevent them from sailing in European
safety standards, the human factor as well waters and calling at European ports;
as operational and organisational practices. • guarding against human error by improved
Most prominently, the rapid implementation crew awareness, education and training;
of safety features, such as the mandatory use
of voyage data recorders, has to be pursued • making passenger ships safer by improving
in further initiatives and backed up by safety standards;
research, demonstration and evaluation trials. • protecting waters from pollution by ships
carrying dangerous or polluting goods to
The current research programme concentrates or from EU ports;
resources in larger projects, in order to obtain • ensuring the safe flow of traffic by
the critical mass for full-scale validation of developing VTMIS systems and implementing
technologies and to smooth the effective a monitoring and control system.
transfer of research results into real-life
application. The research tools to achieve Quality in shipping is often related to better
these objectives are mainly demonstration safety at sea and much activity is focused
projects and thematic networks. on eliminating sub-standard operations in
all areas. One goal is the application of high
The strategy towards achieving better quality management concepts by European
safety standards in maritime operations is waterborne operators.
MARITIME SAFETY
Maritime education 15
16 17
Safety and environmental protection 16
1. White Paper "European transport policy for 2010: time to decide", COM(2001)370
2.The transport research programme is part of the fourth framework programme for Community activities in the field
of research, technological development and demonstration for the period 1994 to 1998
3. ATOMOS II project
4. MBB project
5. DISC and DISC II projects
6. BERTRANC and CASMET projects
7. FSEA project
8. SEALOC project
9. SAFECO and SAFECO II projects
10. MASIS II, MASSOP and REWORD projects
11. MARCOM, MASSTER and METHAR projects
12. MOVIT and VTMIS-NET projects
13. INCARNATION and RINAC projects
14. ADVANCES network
15. METNET network
16. THEMES network
17. WATERMAN-TS network
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Brochures on results from the transport research programme
KO-39-01-546-EN-C
are available for:
1. Sustainable mobility
5. Maritime safety
6. Freight intermodality
8. Road safety