Course content

Introduction to rules and regulations in maritime safety management. The risk concept and other key concepts. Description of the risk picture based on accident statistics. Accident theories, accident investigation and analysis. Common methods for risk analysis. Methods for calculating risk for navigation accidents. Human reliability; error mechanisms, influencing factors and modelling approaches. Risk objectives, data and risk acceptance criteria. Risk control measures and options, including cost-benefit analysis. Safety management and the ISM Code – the International Safety Management Code. Port State Control.

Learning outcome

Upon completion of the course, the candidate shall be able to:
- Describe the terminology within the field of safety management in maritime activities and use this terminology in a correct way.
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of the safety regulations in the maritime sector, who the main actors are and how enforcement is performed.
- Describe the main elements of a safety management system.
- Describe the most common accident models and perform and interpret accident investigations.
- Describe what a risk analysis is, what the main elements are and the most common methods used, and be able to use this knowledge to plan and perform a risk analysis.
- Describe key human factors that influence human performance and be able to incorporate and analyze the effect in risk analysis.
- Explain Formal Safety Assessment and be able to apply the method on practical cases.
- Describe methods for risk calculations for the most common types of maritime accidents, such as collision and grounding, and how to apply these methods in practical cases.
- Describe principles for risk reduction and cost-benefit analysis and be able to apply this to identify risk reduction measures and calculate cost-efficiency of proposed measures.
- Describe the main types of data required for risk analysis and how to analyze and apply data in practice.
- Use databases like Sea-web and tools like Genie to perform risk analysis.
- Comment critically on strengths and weaknesses of risk analysis

The course will also contribute to develop general competence in:
- Cooperating with others on performing a project related to safety management and risk analysis
- Presenting a risk analysis and the results from risk analysis both in writing and through an oral presentation

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, assignments and a group-based project work. All lectures are given in English.

Compulsory assignments

• Exercises

Recommended previous knowledge

Basic courses in marine technology. Basic statistics course.

Course materials

Textbook: Rausand, M. and Haugen, S. (2020): Risk Assessment - Theory, Methods and Applications. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,Hoboken.
Kristiansen, S. (2005): Maritime Transportation - Safety Management and Risk Analysis. Elsevier - Butterworth Heinemann, Amsterdam.
Lecture notes and supplementary notes as relevant chapters from other text-books and scientific journal papers.