The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), is currently designing a small autonomous passenger ferry for up to 12 passengers. The ferry will bridge a harbor channel in Trondheim, Norway. This paper presents the results of the preliminary hazard analysis conducted in the early design phase of the ferry. The main hazards and envisioned risk reduction measures are associated with software failure, failure of communication system, both internal and external, traffic in the channel, especially kayaks, passenger handling, and monitoring, and weather conditions. In addition, this paper summarizes practical challenges encountered in the ferry project. These challenges are related to available hazard and risk analysis methods and data, determining and establishing an equivalent safety level, and some of the prescriptive regulations currently in use by the Norwegian Maritime Authority. The presented analysis and identified challenges may assist other, similar projects designing and developing autonomous vessels.
The fishing industry is plagued by a long history of fatality and injury occurrence. Commercial fishing is hence recognized as the most dangerous and difficult of professional callings, in all jurisdictions. Fishing vessels have their own unique set of hazards, a myriad collection of complex occupational accident potentials, barely controlled, co-existing in a perilous work environment. The work in this article is directed by the Norwegian Systematic Health, Environmental and Safety Activities in Enterprises (1997) (Internal Control Regulations [1]), the ISM Code [2] for vessels and their recent applicability to the fishing fleet of Norway. Both safety management works place requirements on the vessel operators and crew to actively manage safety as an on-going concern. The application of these safety management system (SMS) control documents to fishing vessels is just the latest instalment in a continual drive to improve safety in this sector. The difficulty is that there has been no previous systematic approach to safety within the fishing fleet. This article uses the tenants of systems engineering to determine the requirements for such a SMS, detailing the limiting factors and restrictive issues of this complex operating environment.
Decision-making in emergency situations is a risky and uncertain process due to the limited information and lack of time. Some key problem parameters, such as the time required to complete important response tasks, must be estimated and are therefore prone to errors. Other parameters, such as the probability of occurrence of a consequential event, will typically change as the response operation progresses. As a result, there should be a dynamic probabilistic risk assessment framework to assess the risk level of decision scenarios and facilitate the decision-making process. In this paper, a methodology for dynamic probabilistic risk assessment of decision making in emergencies for complex marine systems is proposed. In this method, a dynamic event sequence diagram is introduced that helps to quantify events probabilities as a function of time, as well as environmental and operational variables, considering events interdependencies and uncertainties. In addition, the effects of time required1 and time available2 for performing a decision in emergency are considered in the risk model. In this methodology, probabilistic models including Bayesian network and Monte Carlo simulation are utilized to quantify the uncertain behavior of the decision-making process in complex marine systems. A computational study is also conducted to evaluate the methodology performance, in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. Computational results show that the proposed approach can obtain optimal solutions for large and practical problem sizes.
Norwegian fisheries play an important role nationally and internationally as a provider of healthy and protein-rich food to many people. Further, they not only contribute to the Norwegian economy but also the countries CO2 emissions and there is a need for decarbonization in this industry sector. In this paper the focus is on the Norwegian coastal fishing fleet and the objective is to provide an overview of the barriers preventing decarbonization in this fleet. An example is given on how a diesel-electric propulsion system can be implemented on board a small-scale fishing vessel. The concerns and perspectives of the fishers and other involved stakeholders are presented based on semi-structured interviews, literature search, and statistics. The main findings in the paper are that incomplete knowledge and experience about the safety, reliability, efficiency, and environmental performance of the new propulsion systems are important barriers for reducing CO2 emissions in this sector. Academic research in form of better analysis and evaluation of these factors is needed to overcome these barriers. Therefore, the paper also discusses how methods, such as the System Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), can be used to provide additional knowledge and trust in the hybrid system. By pointing out the main barriers and giving indications about future research needed, this paper provides a solid background for further work on the topic of decarbonization in the Norwegian coastal fishing fleet.
In recent years, environmental protection has received more attention in society. In addition to the ecological effect of a hydrocarbon release into the sea, its environmental impact is assessed by considering the amount of pollutant discharged. Therefore, limiting the impact of a spill consists in lowering the volume of oil released and effective early detection is necessary for implementation of mitigating measures. Standards and guidelines have been established for developing effective sensor networks in the subsea templates for both monitoring purposes and data collection. Sensors provide various and heterogeneous amount of information about the subsea template they are monitoring. According to recent definitions of risk, the level of knowledge should be considered during the risk assessment and evaluation phases for better managing potential impacts. The information provided by sensor networks indeed may be used in this perspective. For example, sensor functionality may be included in dynamic fault tree analysis in updating the information about system deviations’ frequency. The work in this paper is focused on risk management using information provided from subsea sensor networks. The study adopts a top-down approach inspired by systems engineering to analyse the communication patterns among the different stakeholders. A real reference case from the oil and gas industry located in an environmentally sensitive area on the Norwegian Continental Shelf is used for testing the suggested approach. The case study refers to subsea monitoring of oil leakages from the wellhead templates. Different sensor configurations are considered in order to identify the one able to provide the most reliable information. Insights from the case study highlight how sensor data analysis may improve risk management and support operational decision making.
Improved condition monitoring of production equipment enhances process safety and the ability to prepare maintenance, to perform maintenance efficiently, and thus reduce downtime and associated costs. Currently, there is a somewhat limited focus on condition monitoring of static equipment, such as heat exchangers and separators. This is due to organizational barriers, available technology, and budget constraints at management level. The objective of this article is to present a three-step approach that supports the decision-maker in the selection of condition monitoring methods for production equipment. The approach is exemplified by a heat exchanger and the focus is on condition monitoring in the operational phase, including assessment of life cycle costs (LCC).
Purpose The objective of this paper is to outline a framework that guides the development of sound maintenance strategies and policies for deep‐sea offshore wind turbines. Design/methodology/approach An important challenge with offshore wind energy production is to reduce the high operation and maintenance costs. To decrease complexity, and structure the maintenance strategy developing process, systems engineering principles are used. Findings The framework facilitates integration of fragmented but valuable information from different disciplines in the development of sound maintenance strategies. In addition, the framework may be used to identify knowledge gaps, and areas for further research. Research limitations/implications The paper refers to research on deep‐sea offshore wind turbines, which is in its infancy, with a limited amount of data yet available for verification and validation. Deep‐sea offshore installations are not commercialized, and few pilot installations have been installed. Originality/value The design of the offshore wind turbines determines operation and maintenance features. Reducing operation and maintenance costs is necessary to make deep‐sea offshore wind projects viable in the first place. The framework contributes to the complicated development of maintenance strategies for a system not yet realized.
Overcapacity in the fishing fleets is considered as the most serious threat to sustainable fisheries. More effective fishing vessels and catching gear contribute to increased catch capacity. Increased catch capacity causes environmental problems such as overexploitation and calls for larger quotas. The problem of overcapacity indicates the need for a stronger integration of technological aspects into fisheries management. This article assesses the differences in sustainability between the Norwegian ocean and coastal fishing fleets in the cod fisheries, by using systems engineering methods. Attributes of sustainability in the Norwegian cod fishing fleets are investigated, as well as acceptance criteria and performance indicators. The results show that there are huge differences in the performance between the vessel groups, and that the results of an evaluation of sustainability in the fishing fleets are dependent on which attributes are explored. Thus, the discussion may contribute to a better decision basis and improved sustainability in fisheries management.
