ABSTRACT: This paper presents a set of methodologies for analysing accident investigation reports to enhance learning from past incidents. While these reports are primarily designed to prevent accident recurrence, they often overlook key contributing factors such as personal, organisational, and cultural influences—particularly leadership practices and potential mental health issues that may have played a role. Moreover, accident investigation reports vary in quality and do not always adhere to standardised frameworks, limiting their effectiveness. This paper proposes a novel approach to accident analysis, offering a structured method to distinguish whether an accident is crew-related or company-related - an essential differentiation, as these factors require distinct management and preventive measures. The study draws on findings from multiple recent projects, analysing over 1000 accident reports to develop a new taxonomy. This taxonomy aims to facilitate a more systematic approach to accident analysis while identifying management deficiencies and crew-related challenges, ultimately improving safety and operational practices.

KEYWORDS: Safety at Sea, Maritime Education and Training (MET), Environment Protection, Under Keel Clearance (UKC), Navigational Safety, Collision Avoidance, Navigation, Ports and Harbours

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