The global commercial fishing industry, which employs approximately 159,800 seafarers worldwide (as reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), faces a significant challenge in terms of safety. According to estimates by the International Labour Organization, approximately 24,000 seafarers lose their lives each year in fishing-related accidents. However, most existing guidelines for preventing maritime accidents primarily target vessels involved in international navigation, often inadequately addressing the unique risks faced by small-scale boats operating in coastal areas. This study focuses on trap fishery, a widely practiced fishing method globally, analyzing quantitative data from 1790 maritime accidents and conducting a survey involving 101 seafarers in South Korea. Utilizing Bayesian network analysis, aligned with Formal Safety Assessment protocols, the authors developed preventive guidelines aiming to reduce the rate of fatal accidents. The guidelines, derived from the data analysis, are anticipated to provide invaluable assistance to seafarers engaged in trap fishery not only in South Korea but also across various countries worldwide. By enhancing safety measures in this critical sector, this research will contribute to the overarching goal of sustainability within the global commercial fishing industry.

Fishing vessels are known to have a fatality rate from accidents nearly 100 times higher than that of merchant ships. However, since most cases are resolved internally without maritime tribunals, obtaining accurate statistics on accidents is challenging, making quantitative analysis and evaluation of accident risks difficult. Studies using inconsistent analytical methods often fail to converge on unified results or preventive measures, which contributes to the persistently high occurrence of fishing vessel accidents. Therefore, this study aimed to establish a standardized method for analyzing marine accidents on fishing vessels by applying the Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) technique, originally developed for merchant ships. The research focuses on the globally prevalent trap boat fishery, specifically examining common injuries occurring on fishing vessels. Quantitative data were collected from insurance approval records, while qualitative data were obtained through surveys. The research followed the five stages of the FSA framework: hazard identification, risk estimation, identification of risk control options, cost-benefit assessment, and recommendations for decision-making. The findings suggest that the FSA framework can be effectively applied to analyze fishing vessel accidents based on insurance data, leading to selective and effective preventive measures.

With an estimated 32,000 annual fatalities, fishing vessel accidents are 100-fold deadlier than those involving merchant ships. Despite ongoing safety training, accident rates remain high. Since most fishing vessel accidents occur in small fishing vessels (<12 m) and are primarily attributable to human elements, this study focuses on small fishing vessel accidents where the human element is the primary cause, exploring preventive measures for major accident types and performing a type-specific risk assessment. First, we performed a quantitative analysis of frequently occurring accidents and the indirect factors influencing the human element using maritime accident statistics and surveys, respectively. Next, we employed the fault tree analysis technique proposed by the International Maritime Organization in its Formal Safety Assessment to quantitatively assess the rate of accidents caused by the human element attributable to various indirect factors. The primary indirect factors most significantly impacting the human element were ship factors (22.8%), people factors (18.9%), and organization on board (17.4%). Secondary factors included personal negligence (14.1%), aging equipment and poor maintenance (10.3%), and harsh natural conditions such as rough waves (9.6%). Eliminating the top three secondary indirect factors reduced accidents due to the human element by 15.4% (64.5−49.1%).

Fishing vessels with a length $\left({\mathrm{L}}_{\mathrm{BP}}\right)$ of less than 100 m are generally not required to comply with the mandatory IMO Ship Maneuverability Standards. Therefore, an analytical method using empirical formula is preferred rather than a model test, which consumes a lot of time and monetary resources in estimating the maneuverability at the design stage. However, most empirical formulas have been derived from the model test results of merchant ships, and in the process, estimation errors may occur when hull-form parameters ($\mathrm{L}/\mathrm{B}$ or ${\mathrm{C}}_{\mathrm{b}}\mathrm{B}/\mathrm{L}$) with high correlation are applied to fishing vessel hull form whose characteristics are different from those of merchant ships. Therefore, a modified empirical formula was derived from previous research by including major parameters of fishing vessel hull form in the Kijima 90 empirical formula. In this study, maneuverability of stern trawler hull form is estimated for validating a modified empirical formula. The study confirmed that including characteristic parameters of the fishing vessel hull form in the empirical formula developed for merchant ships could improve the accuracy of estimation.