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A critical examination of safety culture in the superyacht industry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 September 2024

Pengfei Zhang Open the ORCID record for Pengfei Zhang [Opens in a new window] ,
Qiong Chen Open the ORCID record for Qiong Chen [Opens in a new window] ,
Tobias Macdonald  and
Xinjian Wang
Pengfei Zhang
Affiliation:
Navigation College, Jimei University, Xiamen, China
Qiong Chen*
Affiliation:
Navigation College, Jimei University, Xiamen, China
Tobias Macdonald
Affiliation:
Navigation College, Jimei University, Xiamen, China Faculty of Business, Law and Digital Technology, Solent University, Southampton, UK
Xinjian Wang
Affiliation:
Navigation College, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, China
*
*Corresponding author: Qiong Chen; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Accidents are a prevalent feature of working in the maritime industry. While studies have shown to what extent accidents and fatalities have occurred, the current research has generally been limited to commercial shipping. There is nearly no academic research focusing on the safety issues in the superyacht industry. This paper analyses the importance of promoting safety culture in the superyacht industry, the role of maritime legislation in maintaining safety and the role of Port State Control in ensuring all legislation is implemented. It aims to provide a critical examination of safety culture in the superyacht industry and evaluate the appropriateness for further measures to ensure safe working practices. It found out that while some superyachts do maintain an effective safety system, there remains almost 50% of the investigated fleet that do not promote the desired safety culture. It becomes evident that complacency and poor education contribute to the reduced and limited safety culture. The lack of education and awareness is demonstrated when the study shows individuals believing they maintain good safety practices but still admitting to taking various life-threatening risks.

Keywords

international safety managementmaritime labour convention 2006safety cultureseafarerssuperyacht industry
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Navigation , Volume 77 , Issue 1 , January 2024 , pp. 100 - 115
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Royal Institute of Navigation

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