ABSTRACT
Maritime transport has for ages been the basis for international trade and the development of the global economy. It is especially competitive in terms of cost for oil and bulk transport and also for containerized cargo. Shipping has therefore together with division of labor been the basis for increased economic prosperity. However, ship accidents have also led to numerous fatalities, environmental pollution, and economic losses. Charter rates or the prize cargo owners are willing to pay for seaborne transport may vary from time to time. This situation has been viewed as an explanation for the lack of systematic and long-range safety management. Regulations of safety in shipping have traditionally been prescriptive and have often been revised as a reaction to catastrophic accidents. International Maritime Organization has the main role in the development of regulation, whereas national administrations enforce them. In recent decades, the regulation has been supplemented with risk-based and more proactive approaches. This way of thinking is based on analysis of accidents and the realization that risk can be controlled to a certain degree. The scope of this book is to give an introduction safety management and risk analysis. It is primarily intended as a textbook for maritime academies and universities.
