A Novel Integrated Method for the Risk Assessment of Ship-to-Ship LNG Bunkering Operations
Publication: ASCE-ASME Journal of Risk and Uncertainty in Engineering Systems, Part A: Civil Engineering
Volume 10, Issue 1
Abstract
In recent years, liquefied natural gas (LNG) gradually has become an alternative fuel for ships. For targeted safety management of ship-to-ship LNG bunkering, this study developed a new method to identify, quantify, and rank the risk influential factors (RIFs) for fuel spills during the process of ship-to-ship LNG bunkering. Firstly, starting from the process of ship-to-ship LNG bunkering, the fuel leakage RIFs of ship-to-ship LNG bunkering were identified and summarized. Secondly, combining failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA), Bayesian networks (BN) based on the fuzzy belief rule (FBRBN), and evidential reasoning (ER), a risk assessment model is proposed to quantify the risk level of the RIFs. Finally, using the case study of Zhoushan LNG bunkering station, China, the feasibility and practicability of the established risk evaluation index system and research methods were verified. The results of this study show that improper handling by personnel is the most important RIF affecting the safety of ship-to-ship LNG bunkering. Based on the results, targeted preventive measures are proposed to enhance the safety of ship-to-ship LNG bunkering.
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Data Availability Statement
The following data supporting the results of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request: (1) the fuzzy belief rule base for ship-to-ship LNG bunkering fuel leakage risk evaluation; and (2) the weighting evaluation and subjective probability evaluation of the processed questionnaire regarding risk factors from the ship-to-ship LNG bunkering fuel spills.
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© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jun 8, 2023
Accepted: Sep 18, 2023
Published online: Nov 16, 2023
Published in print: Mar 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Apr 16, 2024
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