RESEARCH OF SAFETY OF BUNKING ON MARITIME TRANSPORT

Abstract

The article considers the safety of bunkering of ships as one of the factors influencing the reliability of the bunkering process on water transport. A comprehensive approach and levels of measures to ensure bunkering are considered. For risk assessment and analysis, the IMO's recommendations for Formal Security Assessment (FSA) methods are based on the principle of "acceptable risk" known as ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable). On the basis of the IMO recommendations currently used to manage maritime safety, a sequence of bunkering safety studies has been developed. The risk assessment methodology includes five main steps: data collection and system-wide assessment; hazard identification; risk analysis; evaluation of the effectiveness of the existing system of preventive and variable measures, development of new solutions; implementation and improvement of the security system. The main causes of incidents during bunkering are identified: equipment malfunction, human factor, low-quality fuel, accidents of adjacent objects, actions of natural forces. The relative frequency of occurrence of a hazard, a risk factor that has a negative effect on the bunkering process, is calculated in an analytical manner. The consequences of the accidents were evaluated on a four-point scale. A probabilistic assessment of the impact of the hazards was carried out and the levels of formalized risk were determined. The bunkering security system is investigated by plotting a matrix (coordinate event (event probability)) diagram in a coordinate system. The results show that human factors and equipment malfunction are the most dangerous factors in the rating of threats. Auxiliary risk management measures have been proposed that will reduce the risk level from high to acceptable, which will prevent bunkering accidents.