Fuzzy Multiple-Criteria Decision Making Based Evaluation of the Incident Analysis Forms Used in Internal Reporting Systems: A Case Study of Tanker Shipping Companies

Abstract

Under the International Safety Management (ISM) Code, shipping companies are required to build a Safety Management System and develop procedures that will regulate the incident analysis process. By these procedures, the shipping companies develop an incident analysis form and use it on all ships within their fleets. Although these forms serve a common purpose, their structure shows some differences between companies. Thus, time may be wasted when transferring the data or insufficient data may be obtained. This paper examines incident analysis forms used for tanker ships whose hazardous cargos make them of particular importance. The features of incident analysis forms used on tankers of a shipping company were specified, and the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) method presented their importance levels. Expert opinion was collected by a questionnaire. The results revealed that the highest priorities belong to the sections allocated for details about the ship and environmental conditions and root cause analysis technique. The least essential sub-criteria were related to the structure and variety of the forms. Based on the study results, which captured the current practice and the sector’s expectations, tanker shipping companies’ existing incident analysis forms could be revised. The revised documents would help to achieve complete information and prevent loss of time in information exchange between companies. Bringing a common approach to the analysis of incidents in tanker shipping would increase safety in the shipping industry.