Safety Culture Gaps in Indonesian Domestic Shipping: Cadets' and Seafarers' Perspectives on Sea Transportation Management
Abstract
Maritime safety culture, the shared values, attitudes, and behavioural norms that govern how seafarers and organisations respond to safety obligations, is a primary determinant of accident prevention and regulatory compliance in commercial shipping. In Indonesia, a persistent asymmetry exists between safety cultures aboard internationally certified vessels and those operating on domestic inter-island routes, yet the practitioner experiences generating and sustaining this asymmetry remain poorly understood within sea transportation management. This study investigates how nautical, marine engine, and port and shipping management cadets, and active seafarers, perceive safety culture differences between Indonesian domestic and international shipping contexts. A qualitative design was employed, drawing on semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with 45 cadets across three majors from Malahayati Sea Transportation Institute Jakarta who completed twelve months of practical training (August 2024-September 2025), supplemented by 5 active seafarers and 4 former seafarer-lecturers. Cross-major thematic analysis identified four dominant themes: compliance culture variability, professional socialisation into compliance minimalism, institutional safety culture gaps, and aspirational safety professionalism. Findings reveal a systemic safety culture asymmetry whose consequences for professional formation and accident prevention demand institutional response.