Abstract
In recent years, there has been an increasing need for effective risk assessment methods to ensure the safety of navigation in shallow water channels, to protect vulnerable environments, on the one hand, and on the other to be ready for the relevant changes taking place with energy and environmental transitions. In this study, a risk assessment framework for shallow water navigation has been developed, with a focus on one of the most complex, multifaceted and significant area in Europe, the channel network in Marghera (Venice, Italy). The results based on bow-tie analysis, fault trees and event trees and vulnerability assessment that the most significant hazards in the study area were collisions, grounding, environmental impacts, and channel blockages. The risk-based framework can provide a robust basis for decision support for management and regulation of vessel traffic in environmental sensitive areas, and for developing effective technical and non-technical barriers and strategies for mitigating navigation risks.
