By
Michele Witthaus |
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Symposium on the Future of Ship Safety convened in London on 10 June and featured discussions on driving forces for maritime safety, including economic imperatives, regulatory challenges, sustainable development and shipowners' perspectives.
In his opening address, IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu said the event represented a departure from tradition in its unprecedented use of technology to include a wider audience than had participated in previous events. He said that the symposium had been rescheduled from 2012 to allow for the completion of enquiries into incidents last year, including the Costa Concordia and Rabal Queen accidents. “I simply did not want to intervene in the safety review after Concordia so I decided to hold the symposium this year instead,” he said.
Sekimizu added: “We need to meet clear goals and functional requirements that are ever more demanding for industry and global trade. The trend towards a scientific approach using risk-based technologies is set to continue. Ships are built to meet increasingly demanding challenges and we need to devise a regulatory framework that will improve design safety through technological innovation.”
Royal Caribbean International’s (RCI) EVP maritime, Harri Kulovaara, said the company's approach to safety had evolved as its ships became larger and more complex, from 18,000gt in the 1970s to 167,000gt for the Quantum-class ships. “Using risk-based design, the Oasis class represented the first ships with a known safety level,” said Kulovaara. “We applied the IMO's probabilistic rules ahead of time and since 2007, all our ships have been built according to Safe Return to Port principles. Simulation is also increasingly important. For example, we have extensive 3D topographic simulation models to verify configurations.”
Other safety innovations on RCI ships include alternative means of fire division using roller shutters, as well as comprehensive digital CCTV systems, he added. Looking ahead, Kulovaara said safety onboard cruise ships would be enhanced by standardised training for officers and crew, including a growing use of psychometric and psychological profiling.