“Weighing” the functions of the STCW-78 convention by the analytic hierarchy process

The paper contains the result of determining the importance of the requirements of the STCW-78 Convention in the safe operation of marine vessels. It is noted that the study is of great importance for the formation of the scope and subject of the programs of basic and additional training of crew members of naval vessels, as well as for the development of materials used in maritime qualification commissions in assessing the competence of seafarers. The current programs correspond to the minimum standards of competence thematically, but do not imply quantitative compliance with the actual “weight” of the convention function. The purpose of the study is to examine the “weighing” by highly qualified specialists in the field of maritime safety of the standards of competence of each of the seven functions of the Convention in relation to maritime accidents. The significance of functions was determined by the hierarchy analysis method developed by T. Saati. According to the results of a survey of fifteen experts conducted through a paper questionnaire, paired comparison matrices have been compiled. Each function of the STCW-78 Convention was compared with each of the remaining ones for importance for the safety of navigation in three categories: equal importance; more significant; significantly more significant. The survey results, presented as tables, have been converted into matrices. Using the numerical method, an index of consistency was established based on iterations and the “weight” of each expert was determined. Respondents with a high consistency index are excluded from the representative list. The questionnaires of the remaining eight experts served as the basis for assessing the impact of the crew's abnormal performance of their functions (dysfunctions) on the creation of an emergency. It has been established that the dysfunctions of “navigation” and “technical operation and repair” are of the greatest importance for the safety of navigation.