ITS Professor Develops Integrated Ship Navigation Safety System

Surabaya (ANTARA) - The 244th Professor of the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), Prof Dr Eng Muhammad Badrus Zaman ST MT, has initiated the integration of a ship navigation safety system that combines navigation technology and human factors to improve national shipping safety in Indonesia. “Ship accidents are influenced by various factors, ranging from the condition of the vessel, the environment, machinery and electrical systems, human factors, to management,” said Badrus in Surabaya on Wednesday. According to him, the human factor is the dominant cause, so strengthening shipping safety cannot rely solely on technology. “Strengthening navigation safety is not only done through technological devices, but also by considering the capabilities and decision-making of the ship’s crew,” he said. Departing from these conditions, the Professor in the field of Ship Navigation Safety Systems initiated the integration of navigation systems with human factors. Through this approach, navigation devices not only function to monitor the ship’s position but also help the crew read shipping risks more accurately so that decision-making on board becomes more measured according to operational conditions. In his scientific oration entitled ‘Ship Navigation Safety System as a Pillar to Strengthen the National and Global Maritime Axis’, Badrus utilised the Automatic Identification System (AIS) to analyse ship traffic density in real time. The AIS data is then combined with the M-SHEL model, an analytical framework that examines human interaction with five system components, including management, software, hardware, environment, and liveware (crew). The integration of AIS and the M-SHEL model produces a collision risk assessment in three levels: low, medium, and high. The system also provides safety action recommendations that can be directly applied by the captain when facing various shipping conditions. “This system engineering provides data-based guidance to the crew in responding to shipping situations,” said the professor from Banyuwangi. The researcher, who is part of the ITS Maritime Science Techno Park (STP), said the research was developed through collaboration with Japan’s Kobe University, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, and Germany’s Wismar University of Applied Sciences. Domestically, the research was conducted together with the Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia and the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT). According to Badrus, the research supports Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) goal 9 on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, as well as goal 14 on Ocean Ecosystems. Going forward, he hopes that interdisciplinary collaboration with industry and government will continue to be strengthened so that research results can be widely applied. “Sustainable collaboration is needed so that this navigation safety research can be implemented concretely for the advancement of Indonesia’s maritime sector,” he said.