Ship navigation from a Safety-II perspective: A case study of training-ship operation in coastal area

Abstract

This study presents how resilience is incorporated in the everyday operation of a ship from the Safety-II perspective. The study identifies the contribution to ship safety owing to the bridge team's performance in navigating the ship. A qualitative observation and the functional resonance analysis method have been applied to analyse officers’ everyday performance. Essential functions of officer activities onboard are generated via direct observation and semi-structured interviews on the training ship Fukae-maru. System activities are modelled in terms of how the actual work happens. The specific dynamic functional model of ship navigation is obtained to further express the dynamic work of the watch officers. The result indicates that the ship officer's adaptability and flexibility beneficially contributed to the system's ability to monitor, respond, learn, and anticipate. This resilience was distinctly demonstrated through function and couplings. Furthermore, this study acknowledges human functions as a resource to cope with the complexity escalation that results from technological development for future maritime transportation.