Abstract: The research subject is the terminology, which is used to describe the situations in ship navigation, which can be harmful for life and health of people, property (cargo and ship) and environment.
The research object is theory and methodology of the risk of emergency situations in ship navigation. The authors consider dangerous, extreme and emergency situations, their definitions, features and interrelation. The study is based on legal and commonly used definitions and those acquired in the process of studying. The research methodology is based on terminological system analysis, which is applied to each definition and the whole conceptual framework (terminological system). The authors detect commonness, difference and correlation of notions defining the situations, which occur in the process of ship navigation and are characterized by the presence of danger. In other words, the authors systematize the terminology. The most common term is dangerous situation, which is only determined by the presence of danger. An additional feature of extreme situation is a human factor. The level of extremality of the situation is determined by the probability of an accident and emergency situation. The research results supplement the theory and methodology of emergency situations risk management in ship navigation. They can be used for generalization of effective procedures of management on the basis of prognostication and minimization of human factor in ship navigation safety.