Survey and Analysis on Safety of Ship Mooring Operations in Japanese Ports Facing Open Seas

Ships have two major roles, namely navigation in oceans and cargo handling in ports. Various factors must be considered to maintain the safety of ships in all situations, from oceans to ports. The case of ferry ports was already presented by the authors. However, some important factors are still unknown, and thus, a nationwide survey is conducted to clarify them. The first survey is a questionnaire, in which responders point out various problems that prevent the maintenance of safety in ports. In particular, there are many ports with insufficient facilities because of the financial deficit. There are also differences in awareness on how to improve the current situation between the shipping companies (users) and local governments (port managers). The second survey, interviews during visits, is conducted in three ports. Detailed situations regarding mooring difficulties are detected. Those points are summarized with the aim to improve safety considering the standards of port planning under a financial deficit situation.