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International audience; Collisions between ships and whales can pose a significant threat to the survival of some whale populations. The lack of robust and holistic assessments of the consequences of mitigation solutions often leads to poor compliance from the shipping industry. To overcome this, several papers support a regulatory approach to the management of whale-ship collisions through the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN agency responsible for maritime affairs. According to the IMO risk assessment approach, in order to compare the costs of implementing mitigation solutions and their benefits, there is a need for a well-defined risk evaluation criterion. To define such a criterion for whales, we have used an ecological-economic framework based on existence values and conservation objectives. As an illustration, we have applied our framework to the Mediterranean fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) population and determined the cost of averting a whale fatality as a proxy for the societal benefits. More precisely, we have estimated the ‘Cost of averting a Mediterranean fin whale fatality’ of 562,462 (in 2017 US dollars); this corresponds to 637,790 USD when converted to 2021 US dollars. The societal benefits of solutions that reduce the risk to whales could therefore be weighed against the costs of shipping companies to implement such measures. This could lead to assessments that are more transparent and the introduction of mandatory measures to reduce ship strikes

Risk-based decision-making is central to the development of Arctic shipping policy and regulation. Policy-makers within the International Maritime Organization rely on the Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) methodology to evaluate proposed regulatory changes and Arctic ship operators rely on it to establish operating limits and procedures. The FSA recommends incorporating life-safety consequence in the assessment of maritime industry risk. This paper presents an expert-based assessment of the factors that influence the potential for loss of life during an Arctic ship evacuation and quantified consequence severities for a range of evacuation scenarios. A two-phased mixed methods design is used to elicit expert knowledge. Sixteen experts in the fields of Arctic seafaring, policy and regulation, academia and research, and ship design participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews elicited perspectives on the factors that influence the expected number of fatalities resulting from an evacuation in Arctic waters. Surveys were administered in which evacuation scenarios were rated for the level of life-safety consequence severity they pose. This study provides a scenario-based life-safety consequence model for Arctic ship evacuations. Results show evacuation of passenger vessels poses the highest consequence severity of evaluated ship types. Response time and the time available to evacuate have the greatest levels of influence on consequence severity. Implications for Arctic marine policy include the need for enhanced competency and training for Arctic ship crews and SAR services, continued research and development of Arctic life-saving appliances to satisfy Polar Code functional requirements, heightened regulatory oversight of Arctic cruise operations, and consideration of inclusion of fishing vessels under the Polar Code. Application of the results to the FSA methodology is discussed.

With the rapid development of the maritime industry, maritime traffic safety management in China is under great pressure. Recently, it is obvious from the safety management on aft-causalities to risk assessment on proactive management of marine traffic at costal water area. According to the investigation of safety situation at coastal water area of China, applied on Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) approach which was held by International Maritime Organization, the characteristics of hazards and accidents at coastal water area were analyzed and some results of risk distribution were held out in quantities. Furthermore, some proposed risk control options (RCO), synergy-based management mode by grid or cell, and long-term strategy in Coastal Water Area were carried out, which included hazard identification, risk evaluation, crisis early-warning, emergency handling and decision-making of RCO.