Increasing System Safety and Efficiency of Ship Main Engines Under D–S Evidential Theory and Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis Approach

Abstract

A ship’s main engine is critical to the performance, operational continuity, and safe conduct of ship operations. However, the safety and operational efficiency of a ship may be endangered because of malfunctions and problems occurring in the ship’s main engine. This study introduces a systematic approach to risk analysis considering uncertainties and integrates the failure modes, effects, and criticality analysis (FMECA) and Dempster–Shafer (D–S) theory to evaluate prospective ship main engine failures. By analyzing ambiguous data derived from expert judgments, the D–S theory offers a more trustworthy failure assessment than the conventional FMECA. In this study, a survey was conducted on maritime experts using main engine failures in the Kongsberg Maritime Engine Room Simulator, and analyses were conducted by integrating FMECA and the D–S theory. This integration allowed for a more accurate prioritization of ship main engine critical failures. Failure modes 2.3, 2.1, and 3.6 were found to be the riskiest failures. By better managing uncertainty, this study offers a more accurate safety analysis than the conventional FMECA method and helps ship operators and marine engineers create proactive maintenance plans. The outcomes of the research are expected to provide unique contributions to maritime safety professionals, safety researchers, and safety inspectors for improving the operational safety of ship main engines.

Keywords

Ship main engine / Operational efficiency / Safety / Maritime transportation / Failure modes, effects, and criticality analysis

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