Ship Domain in Open waters- the size and shape of the navigator’s declarative ship domain

Abstract

This master thesis presents the outcome of the declarative ship domain from Norwegian seafarers, in open waters. A ship domain is a psychological phenomenon when on board a ship the navigator will have a distinct feeling of when targeted vessels come to close in the surrounding area of the ship. Expert’s knowledge and expertise found the basis for the resulting domains. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental, questionnaire-based study was to examine Norwegian seafarer`s perception of the shape of ship domain in open waters, hence examine whether there were any similarities to findings in existing literature. The collected data were analysed in IBM SPSS 24. The results presented support the theory and illustrated how the ship domain from Norwegian navigators increases in size as the ship size increases. Additionally how the domain shape appears to be larger forward than aft of own ship and that port and starboard side seems equal in size and shape. The research conducted within this study can be seen as a contribution to the maritime field of ship domain. This study recommends future research within the field of ship domain both using same and expanded data collection procedures.