The Faculty of Maritime Studies, University of Rijeka, Croatia, manages the European Union (EU) project “Avoiding Collisions at Sea” (ACTs). The project is funded by the European programme “Leonardo da Vinci”. Other maritime education and training institutions participating in this project come from Great Britain, Spain, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Turkey. The purpose of this research was to identify skill gaps in knowledge and teaching of COLREGs (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 - Rules) for nautical Bachelor of Science (BSc) students and experienced deck officers. The analysis of the research on marine accidents has identified vessel collisions as one of the most frequent types of accidents. Further research showed that human error and misinterpretation of the Rules are the most frequent reasons for vessel collisions. Using a questionnaire, nautical students/navigating cadets and navigating officers' understanding of the Rules was tested. The results showed skill gaps in understanding of some parts of the COLREGs due to wrong interpretation and application of the Rules. The authors claim that it is possible to improve the professional competence of navigating officers by applying proper learning methods using real-life scenarios and e-learning.

This paper emphasised the importance of proper handling and selection of specialised skimmer equipment for accidental pollution with oils. The research was motivated by the lack of similar papers that offer an extensive and recent literature analysis related to the use of skimmers, with the ultimate aim to present the methodology for proper selection of appropriate pollution equipment. Knowledge on the equipment characteristics such as capacity, selectivity, speed, and pump power of the skimmer is essential for efficient and fast collection of spills. The study aimed to calculate the oil collection rate of an individual skimmer device with different pumps. The classification of skimmers, pumps, and collecting tanks was made according to their main features. The results showed the correlation between pump capacity and the skimmers. Due to the complexity of mechanical equipment and various devices, it was crucial to identify and connect the skimmer with the proper pump. For these reasons, the authors proposed a model which determines the optimal combination for thirteen skimmers and eleven pumps. The model can help shorten the time of collecting oil from the sea surface and provide a more efficient and smoother response in the events of accidental marine pollution.

An integrative approach to maritime accident risk factor assessment in accordance with formal safety assessment is proposed, which exploits the multifaceted capabilities of Bayesian networks (BNs) by consolidation of modelling, verification, and validation. The methodology for probabilistic modelling with BNs is well known and its application to risk assessment is based on the model verified though sensitivity analysis only, while validation of the model is often omitted due to a lack of established evaluation measures applicable to scarce real-world data. For this reason, in this work, the modified Lyapunov divergence measure is proposed as a novel quantitative assessor that can be efficiently exploited on an individual accident scenario for contributing causal factor identification, and thus can serve as the measure for validation of the developed expert elicited BN. The proposed framework and its approach are showcased for maritime grounding of small passenger ships in the Adriatic, with the complete grounding model disclosed, quantitative validation performed, and its utilization for causal factor identification and risk factor ranking presented. The data from two real-world grounding cases demonstrate the explanatory capabilities of the developed approach.

The fourth industrial revolution is already a fact. It is manifested in the emerging automation of many processes in shipping, which until recently have been highly dependent on the competence of the people who manage them. The analysis of navigational accidents invariably touches the human factor and involves it in the reasons for their occurrence. The statistics are discouraging and the lack of competence of seafarers is always present in the reports of the investigating authorities. The idea of creating and implementing autonomous ships is cited as a lifeline to overcome the shortcomings that disturb the industry due to the human factor. A few authors in their publications point out many unresolved issues, one of which is related to the education and competence of service personnel. The existing International Convention for Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping of Seafarers does not cover unmanned ships. The mandatory and recommended competencies in it are addressed to the people on board. Some maritime educational institutions have introduced the concept of “autonomous ship” in their curricula, such as Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, Varna and Faculty of Maritime Study, Split. There are probably others who think ahead, but this approach is not enough because unmanned ships are already a fact in the maritime industry. This article aims at exploring the possibilities for supplementing the curricula of maritime training institutions with appropriate subjects for the new realities in shipping.

In nautical tourism, Croatia has great potential for further development; from the conditions of navigation, safety, destination content, traffic accessibility, natural beauty, traditional hospitality and gastronomic offer of island and coastal places, etc. Its features, at the same time, are the advantages of competing countries: purity of the sea and coastal places, beauty and preservation nature, climate, security, hospitality, country image and spatial layout of the marina. The disadvantages relate to insufficient availability and nautical ports equipment, insufficient education, low level of technical service at nautical ports. The research aimed at analysing the current state of nautical tourism in Croatia. The methods used, based on the collected data, have been analysed. The results of the analysis rely on the existing state of nautical tourism, which determines the importance of additional investment in this form of tourism. The aim of the research is to define and shape the necessary measures and development strategies to achieve the purpose of research: the development of nautical tourism contributes to the growth of Croatia’s economy.

‘Close-quarters situation’ is a term used in the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. As the term is not precisely defined, this paper analyses the interpretations and definitions of the term by various authors or courts, based on judicial processes and judgments. In the end, the authors suggest their own definition of the term ‘close-quarters situation’. Knowing the minimum distance from another ship and the time to the closest point of approach at which collision may still be avoided by one's own manoeuvre is information that every ship's officer needs to know. In accordance with the proposed definition of the term ‘close-quarters situation’, minimum distances between ships and time to the closest point of approach in which the ship can still take action to avoid a collision by its own manoeuvring are determined by means of simulations on a navigational simulator. A total of 168 simulations were performed with three fine-form vessel sizes and three full-form vessel sizes. Due to the extensive amount of data, the paper presents the results for one vessel only.