FSA:A new methodology to promote safety at sea

This paper gives an outline of the Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) processes and its application to the regulatory process of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The backgrounds of the traditional and the new approach to the management of safety in shipping are reviewed. The five steps that form the framework of FSA are described and discussed in the following text as well as the concept of risk, which is the key element of this modern methodology. Some recent applications of FSA and their results are introduced. A discussion of the FSA-methodology is also presented, followed by some recommendations and, finally, the conclusions