The authors of this article note that the main reason for obtaining an unsatisfactory result in the implementation of most economic projects in the maritime industry is considered to be errors in the formation of the project teams - the crew of sea vessels. So, more than 75 % of emergencies in the merchant fleet arise as a result of the “human factor”, which affects the final systemic result of economic and industrial activities. The statistics of many ship accidents that have occurred over the past decade show that none of the elements of the shipping system are aloof from them, as ship crews, shipowners, charterers, cargo recipients, classification societies and other organizations associated with maritime transportation, all of them form risks at sea - dangers. Deficiencies in the definition of safety management of shipping and the reduction of risks at sea will undoubtedly be manifested elsewhere (transport by land and air). Therefore, everyone involved in the economic marine service, from personnel on board the ship to the director of the shipping company and the leadership of the national maritime administration, is responsible for the safety of navigation and therefore must take all necessary measures to minimize emergency events at sea and port facilities from existing threats. Despite such collective responsibility for ensuring the safety of navigation, the main reason for most incidents at sea is the human factor - which describes the possibility of a person making erroneous or illogical decisions in specific situations at sea. The correct combination of human abilities and the capabilities of a machine (sea vessel) significantly increases the effectiveness of human -machine systems and determines the optimal use by a person of technical means for their intended purpose. Unfortunately, an adequate methodology that would allow the implementation of a comprehensive, adaptive system of shipping safety and advanced training of personnel of maritime companies and ships (crews) at the same time. Consequently, in the context of the economic crisis and the incomplete certainty of the volume of work, today there is no such methodology. In addition, the existing economic means do not take into account the specifics of the human factor and the conditions for the performance of work by such heterogeneous ship crews as the crew, namely the increased level of danger, confined space, injuries, the death of a crew member, the inability to replace crews at sea, international composition, language barrier and etc.