Public defence in Marine and Arctic Technology, M.Sc./Capt. Valtteri Laine

Title of the thesis: Risk Management Framework for Maritime Authorities: Concepts, Processes, and Maturity

Thesis defender: Valtteri Laine 
Opponent: Prof. Angelo Palos Teixeira, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Custos: Prof. Osiris Valdez Banda.,Aalto University School of Engineering

Risk management framework for maritime authorities 
Maritime authorities have the administrative responsibility for managing the risk of accidental oil spills. This responsibility involves various regulatory-based activities aimed at maritime accident prevention, as well as pollution prevention and response. These risk management activities have also been supported with extensive research and professional efforts. 

However, there is still a lack of risk management frameworks that consider the coexistence of multiple risk concepts in this field, the different risk management decision-making contexts of the authorities and the variations in their levels of risk management performance. 

To address the limitations of existing approaches, this thesis proposes a novel risk management framework tailored for the maritime authorities in the Baltic Sea region. Based on recent scientific research, industry standards and the practical needs of end-users, the framework adopts a risk-informed decision-making strategy and is built around three interrelated components:

1. Risk concept component – Establishes a common understanding of risk across maritime domain, drawing on the Society for Risk Analysis approach;
2. Risk management processes component – Provides tools and processes based on the ISO 31000 standard to support the various decision-making context of maritime authorities;
3. Risk maturity component – Supports maritime authorities in assessing and improving their risk management performance through the new and empirically tested R-Mare matrix model.

In general, this thesis draws on state-of-the-art research to propose a new risk management framework that addresses the practical needs of maritime authorities in the Baltic Sea region and beyond. In this regard, it also supports efforts to apply recent developments in the theoretical risk field to create actionable risk management frameworks for practical use.

Keywords: Risk concept, Risk management process,Risk assessment, Risk maturity

Thesis available for public display 7 days prior to the defence at Aaltodoc. 

Contact information: 
E-mail: mikko.3.laine@aalto.fi

Phone: +358 505121304