National Transport Library Research Database

Design, operation and regulation for safety

Sponsors, duration, budget: Vinnova, EU ; 2005-02-01 -- 2008-12-31 ; 20000000 kronorRegistration number:
  • Vinnova
Subject(s): Abstract: SAFEDOR will provide solutions to increase the safety and security of waterborne transport cost-effectively through treating safety as a design objective (and not as a constraint). To succeed, it is necessary to establish a risk-based regulatory framework that links performance prediction with risk assessment. With the application of state-of-the-art first-principle analysis tools within an integrated and holistic design approach, a balance between costs, safety and performance can be achieved optimally analysing cost-effectiveness of safety-enhancing measures. In the end, risks are reduced to as low as reasonably practical whilst accounting for other design priorities and constraints. The International Maritime Organization supports adopting a holistic and risk-based approach to maritime safety that deals with safety cost-effectively and during the life cycle of the vessel through the use of Formal Safety Assessment. FSA has so far resulted in prescriptive (but risk-based) regulations, and the opportunity for risk-based design, operation and approval processes of individual ships has not been explored although some regulations (fire, evacuation, damage stability, some class rules) are paving the way for adopting this approach. Moreover, with change happening faster than experience can be accumulated and best practice applied or in the absence of any experience with novel ship designs, the need to adopt first-principles is unavoidable. The SSPA's expert has participated in "hazard identification workshops" och chosen a number of container vessels with specific damage scenarios with the aid of "fault tree and event tree analysis" and developed a high risk model. The result of the container vessel's FSA will provide indata for future risk analyses for these vessels.
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