Towards Efficient Certification of Maritime Remote Operation Centers

TL;DR

This paper proposes a hazard database concept for certifying maritime remote operation centers, supporting safety and compliance through hazard categorization and analysis methods.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hazard database framework based on hazard source categorization for maritime remote operation centers.

Findings

Hazard sources are categorized from a generic functional architecture.

Preliminary analysis identifies suitable hazard analysis and risk assessment methods.

The concept supports safety safeguarding and certification processes.

Abstract

Additional automation being build into ships implies a shift of crew from ship to shore. However, automated ships still have to be monitored and, in some situations, controlled remotely. These tasks are carried out by human operators located in shore-based remote operation centers. In this work, we present a concept for a hazard database that supports the safeguarding and certification of such remote operation centers. The concept is based on a categorization of hazard sources which we derive from a generic functional architecture. A subsequent preliminary suitability analysis unveils which methods for hazard analysis and risk assessment can adequately fill this hazard database.