Abstract
The literature on maritime risk management is rich and the findings are pertinent to maritime authorities in the Baltic Sea region; however, little is known regarding how much of the available research is actually utilized. This paper aims to evaluate the uptake of maritime risk research by maritime authorities in the Baltic Sea region and to propose recommendations for its improvement. An existing model to evaluate research uptake was adopted. The factors that could improve research uptake were identified and built into a framework of research institutions’ push of research and its pull by the maritime authorities and industry. The level of research uptake and the utilization of push and pull factors were examined using an online survey questionnaire and in addition, policymakers and researchers were engaged in a workshop to identify the best practices and opportunities for research uptake in the Baltic Sea region. The results show that the overall research uptake level is reasonably good, although factors that increase research utilization are not wholly taken up. Policy recommendations are provided to improve research uptake and science communication. The emergent framework of improvement factors and best practices should serve as a guide to policymakers and researchers to optimize the uptake of research, regardless of discipline.
Highlights
Users read and understand the relevant research The recipient of research discusses the importance of research with peers The research is preferred by users and, they cite it in their work reports or documents The users of research are influenced by the research information and, exert efforts to adopt it into their decisions or policies The research results are input in policy processes in a way they would influence decisions
We examined the research uptake push factors relating to research institutions and researchers in terms of adaptation and customization of research, dissemination efforts, and partnership and cooperation
The level of research uptake in Baltic Sea maritime authorities is relatively good, we only investigated maritime risk research
Summary
Introduction to Maritime Risk Research andIts Role in PolicymakingMaritime transportation is the lifeblood of the global economy but burgeoning shipping traffic [1] exposes coastal states, including those in the Baltic Sea region (BSR), to the associated risks of collision, grounding, and oil spills [2], entailing potential risks to society, impacting the economy [3], environmental safety, and ecosystems [4], besides exerting pressure on its sensitive marine environment [5].Numerous factors influence shipping accidents such as the traffic type [6], operational problems [7], weather conditions [8], and regulatory issues [9]. Maritime transportation is the lifeblood of the global economy but burgeoning shipping traffic [1] exposes coastal states, including those in the Baltic Sea region (BSR), to the associated risks of collision, grounding, and oil spills [2], entailing potential risks to society, impacting the economy [3], environmental safety, and ecosystems [4], besides exerting pressure on its sensitive marine environment [5]. Maritime risk research has tried to keep pace and progressed in two interconnected approaches, safety of navigation or prevention of shipping accidents, and preparedness and response to incidents [13]. Maritime risk research for prevention includes analysis of ship collisions and accidents [14], waterways risk assessment [15], risk of ships grounding [16], probability of collisions [17], analysis of the risk of ship collision based on Automatic Identification System (AIS) [18], etc. AIS data are explored as a surrogate indicator of accidents to develop the rate of traffic conflict [19], near miss [20], near-collision [21], collision candidate [22], and critical encounters [23]
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