Abstract
WIG crafts are a high speed vessel with features of dynamic supported craft. These crafts, which are predominantly of light weight and operate any substantially greater speeds than conventional craft such as bulk carrier, tanker, container ship, etc., could not be accommodated under traditional maritime safety instruments. It means that there is the need for risk and safety levels to be assessed on a holistic basis, recognizing that high levels of operator training, comprehensive and thoroughly implemented procedures, high levels of automation and sophisticated software can all make significant contributions to risk reduction. To response this requirement, the Interim Guideline for WIG craft(MSC/Circ.1054) were developed in the view of the configuration of WIG craft, which fall between the maritime and aviation regulatory regimes. This paper reviews a safety assessment process and methodology to be used in the design phase of a new ship. The process and methodology is based on the risk-based approach and is applied to safety assessment in concept development phase of small WIG craft in the 20-person class.
