For a period of more than 10 years, a safety culture approach has been promoted through the theme'Design for Safety,' which aims at integrating safety cost effectively in the ship design process. There isa considerable wealth of information amassed over these years of research and development on safetycriticalareas. One of the main elements of the research and development (R&D) work is the assurance ofsafety within the ship design process, in the continuous search for improving the current state of affairs.Through bold steps in the direction advocated by 'Design for Safety,' it is slowly but steadily beingrecognized that this approach can greatly contribute to the overall cost-effective improvement of safety inshipping while nurturing the evolution of proper practice in the field. On this background, the paper attempts a thorough overview of related R&D developments over the lastdecade. Particular emphasis is placed on the developments that have taken place as part of the activitiesof the Thematic Network SAFER EURORO and associated research projects, which have led to thedevelopment of a recent major research initiative, the Integrated Project SAFEDOR, which is expected tolead research development in the area for the years to come
