Research in marine accidents: A bibliometric analysis, systematic review and future directions

In order to analyse the research evolution and knowledge frontier in the research of marine accidents, 491 literatures on marine accidents in the Web of Science database from 2000 to 2022 are taken as data sources. Integrated with literature analysis of traditional method, CiteSpace and VOSviewer are then jointly used for the development of the knowledge network map and cluster analysis, and the knowledge of network map, research hotpots, research evolution and knowledge frontiers is obtained. It is found that there is a close cooperative relationship among journals, researchers, research institutions and countries or regions. According to the subjects and methods, the study of marine accidents can be divided into two parts: the analysis of the influential factors and accident consequences, as well as the methodology development of traditional and emerging technology. In this context, the analysis of human factors in remote-controlled ships, the prevention of accidents in Arctic waters have become research hotspots, while emerging accident analysis methods such as machine learning and big data mining also have shown powerful insights in the analysis of marine accidents. In terms of innovation, the bibliometric approach enhances the ability to handle large literature databases and conduct network analysis. Moreover, this study visualises collaborative networks, analyses evolution trends, reveals the research hotpots, and conducts a comparison and discussion of mainstream approaches in marine accident research. As a result, this study provides a theoretical basis and implementation direction for the development of maritime safety.