Evolution of Safety in Marine Systems: From System-Theoretic Process Analysis to Automated Test Scenario Generation

Abstract The technological development ongoing in the maritime industry is making the ground for remotely and even autonomously operated vessels in the future. This is a result of increased data collection, processing and inter-connectivity capabilities. The industry is working towards increased safety, improved efficiency of the ship’s operation, improved environmental performance and a more cost-effective shipping. New technologies are developed in order to reach these goals, and DNV as a Class society is developing frameworks for assurance of such systems. The certification of ships and vessels with a high degree of automation or autonomy needs an increased focus on software, an understanding of the human-to-machine interaction and the resulting ability to solve complex operations in a secure way. In this paper, a method for high-level risk analysis of the safety aspects of autonomous vessels combined with automatic simulation-based testing of a control system, is proposed.