ITS Professor Develops Innovation to Reduce Maritime Accidents

Surabaya (ANTARA) - A Professor at the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Surabaya, East Java, Prof. Ir. Silvianita, ST, MSc, PhD, has developed a risk management innovation to reduce maritime accidents through an integrated system that improves the safety and reliability of national maritime infrastructure.

“Risk management is not just about avoiding accidents, but about ensuring every decision results in safer and more sustainable operations,” said the first female professor from the Faculty of Marine Technology (FTK) at ITS in Surabaya, East Java, on Thursday.

The lecturer from the ITS Department of Ocean Engineering introduced the integrated systems known as the Methodology for Investigation of Critical Hazards (MIVTA) and the Methodology for Investigation of Risk-Based Maintenance (MIRBA), which she developed for risk management in the maritime sector.

“MIVTA is used to identify potential hazards at an early stage, while MIRBA helps determine the most appropriate mitigation steps so that the risk of accidents can be minimised,” she stated.

MIVTA works by identifying various potential hazards within an operation, searching for root causes, and assessing the likelihood and level of impact that may arise. This process serves as the basis for determining risk priorities that require further attention.

To maximise its functionality, Silvianita integrated Fuzzy Logic methods into the system. According to her, this method allows various conditions that are difficult to measure precisely to be processed into more objective values.

“With this, we can capture uncertainties in the field that have previously been difficult to quantify,” she said.

The risk rankings from MIVTA are then processed using MIRBA. By combining several analytical methods, MIRBA helps determine appropriate preventive actions and maintenance strategies based on the identified risk levels.

Both methodologies function not only as risk analysis tools but also as a more measurable decision-making framework. Through this approach, maritime infrastructure management can be carried out in a more targeted, effective, and sustainable manner.

Silvianita emphasised that risk management should not be viewed merely as an administrative document, but must become an essential part of organisational strategy to improve the safety, reliability, and sustainability of maritime infrastructure.

The method has been applied to the process of transferring offshore platforms to transport vessels, or loadout, which is one of the high-risk stages in the maritime industry. As a result, the system was able to identify several priority risks that have the potential to cause workplace accidents.

Through MIVta and MIRBA, the processes of risk identification, evaluation, and mitigation can be conducted more measurably, ensuring that the potential for workplace accidents or operational failures can be suppressed from the planning stage.

This innovation also supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 8 regarding decent work and economic growth, Goal 9 regarding industry, innovation, and infrastructure, and Goal 14 regarding life below water.

Silvianita hopes that MIVTA and MIRBA can be widely adopted by the oil and gas industry as well as the national maritime sector so that project risk evaluations can be conducted in a more structured manner.