The introduction of alternative fuels (other than diesel oil or gasoline) for some commercially operated marine vessels presents a problem to marine regulators and designers since accepted standards and U.S. Coast Guard policy have not been established. Establishing safe design criteria is a common problem with the introduction of new technologies, novel concepts, and complex systems. In order to determine design safety for novel marine concepts such as compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel, a formal system safety approach may be used. Risk-based technologies (RBT) provide techniques to facilitate the proactive evaluation of system safety through risk assessment, risk control, risk management, and risk communication. The proposed outfitting of a CNG fuel system on the Kings Pointer training vessel is discussed as a specific marine application of CNG fuel and an appropriate situation for applying system safety techniques.