Risk Assessment of Ship Systems Based on Forward FTF Method

Ocean-going vessels sailing alone in the boundless sea often encounter various problems and pose a serious threat to the safety of the ship. According to statistic, many of these accidents are caused by problems such as aging equipment and lack of maintenance. After IMO issued mandatory regulations, China Classification Society (CCS) released Failure Mode and Impact Analysis Guide in 2017 (Guidance Notes GD16-2017), in connection with failure mode and impact analysis for ship equipment and systems. In this paper, based on a multi-purpose offshore carrier, the forward FTF (FMECA & FTA) method is adopted. The failure mode, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA) is conducted for the study on failure mode of ship system, including failure rate, cause and effect (probability and severity). Fault tree analysis (FTA) is to calculate and assess the risk of the ship system. Based on the forward FTF principle, Smart Captain, an operation and maintenance management system was developed for this ship. The system can identify the faults of the ship system and carry out different levels of alarms automatically, then a corresponding maintenance and operation instructions according to the equipment manual is given. By using Smart Captain, the crew member can carry out ship operation and maintenance efficiently safely.