Fuzzy logic system interference in ship accidents

Poor lookout, lack of situation awareness, and delayed response have been continuously recognized as contributory causes of navigation accidents (i.e., collisions and groundings). It is claimed that such negative behavioral characteristics can be corrected when the navigation system is equipped with the automation capability to intervene upon their detection. Building on the results of my previous work, this study sets the starting line in exploring this technological innovation under a conceptual framework, where it is attempted to employ simple, quantifiable, and measurable ways to assess the deck officer's (navigator's) complex aspect of mental task reliability. To deal with this challenge, the navigator's behavior when performing navigation tasks is described by the Markov method and the uncertainty, ambiguity, and weakness in perceiving accurately the environment and traffic conditions is determined by fuzzy logic. The proposed concept is demonstrated through its practical application in collision and grounding accidents, where it is argued that further research is required for its validation.