Safety and reliability in complex software-intensive systems, showing that information about reliability alone cannot lead to conclusions about the safety of a system. Image credit: DNV


increasing automation and remote operation come together with growing centralization of operations. On the other hand, complex and integrated systems involve many different stakeholders to contribute to smooth operations, and lead to more dispersed teams that need to work together. Who is accountable for what? What happens if communication is disrupted, or normally ‘passive’ operators are rapidly called into action?


Companies will therefore need to support people’s roles and needs. This, van de Merwe argues, requires two things. One is human-centred design of systems with technologies that support human performance. The other is balanced ‘function allocation’.


In one example of raising holistic understanding of risk, a DNV-led joint industry project (JIP) on human- centred design of alert management systems addressed challenges related to alarm flooding on the bridge. The project arose from a general consensus that alarms function less well as a decision support tool than they should do, and at times are least helpful when they are needed most. One key conclusion was the need for system integration and human-centred design to provide the operator with the necessary information that they need to make decisions promptly and act appropriately.


Thirdly, as organizations increasingly become a patchwork of multiple stakeholders and suppliers, they need digital transformation strategies for managing emerging risks across the entire organization.


116 | The Report • June 2021 • Issue 96


Allocating tasks between people and technology


The paper sees ‘function allocation’, the division of functions between technology and people, as particularly important during digital transformation. This, van de Merwe explains, is because there are potentially fewer people available to intervene if the system’s design does not meet safety requirements or does not work as intended. People adapt better than technology to unknown challenges and use all means, including technology, to handle situations creatively, the paper observes.


In one practical example, DNV has been working with the European Maritime Safety Agency to identify emerging risks and regulatory gaps related to varying degrees of vessel autonomy. This has involved describing how functions should be allocated between the operator and the technical system, followed by risk analysis to evaluate the solution’s safety.


“Clearly, function allocation in digital transformation requires an organization to have or source competence about how digitalization can affect the successful allocation of functions,” van de Merwe points out.


Why do I need a digital transformation strategy?


As digitalization enables safety risk management but also creates new risk, organizations need digital strategies with processes


to manage changes resulting from the transformation. Company decisions should support its digital ambitions, drive the organization’s strategic goals, and, importantly, be understood by and communicated to all relevant stakeholders so that there is a unified understanding of the digital risks. “It is important that the transformation processes include a requirement to revisit the strategy frequently in order to keep pace with technological development,” van de Merwe emphasizes. “At DNV we offer a holistic service approach to support our customers on their individual transformation pathways,” Øystein Goksøyr, Head of Department Safety Advisory points out. “We have defined four areas ranging from strategy and smart fleet transformation through to management implementation and smarter operations in which we offer services to ensure the identified opportunities are safe and efficient and are implemented effectively.”


Alternative fuels have specific safety risks


When it comes to decarbonization, existing and pending targets mean the clock is already ticking, creating pressure to make timely choices about realistic pathways to 2050: new, alternative carbon- neutral fuels and the associated fuel systems and infrastructure. International shipping must halve greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 to meet International Maritime Organization (IMO) targets and full decarbonization by 2100.


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