The OPTIMISM team is proud to announce that our paper, “A Framework for Continuous Improvement of Safety at Sea”, has been accepted for publication. The paper addresses a critical gap in maritime operations: the difference between merely complying with regulations and being truly prepared to manage real-world challenges at sea.
The research draws on:
- 200+ accident investigations
- ISM audits
- Port State Control (PSC) inspections
Findings reveal recurring root causes of incidents, including:
- Weak or incomplete risk assessments
- Poor leadership and decision-making
- Failures in ship maintenance and operations
To bridge these gaps, we propose a new framework for continuous improvement, anchored by practical models such as the Fitness Triangle. This model aligns jobs, people, and procedures to ensure ships and crews are truly fit for purpose.
The paper advocates for a shift in mindset—towards a culture of continuous learning, where lessons from audits and accidents are systematically fed back into safety systems.
📍 This research will be presented at the IAMU 25 Conference, hosted at AMET University, Chennai, India (17–18 October 2025).