AN INVESTIGATION OF THE CAUSES OF MARINE ACCIDENTS IN NIGERIA'S INLAND WATERWAYS

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE CAUSES OF MARINE ACCIDENTS IN NIGERIA'S INLAND WATERWAYS

Background to the study

An accident on a vessel is an occurrence that was not planned for. Its severity might range from no damage to the vessel to the loss of the vessel in its whole, from no damage to the cargo to the loss of all of the cargo, and from no injuries to fatalities among the crew (Cameron, 2022). Therefore, the primary goals of legislation governing vessel safety and the implementation of such requirements are the avoidance of marine vessel accidents and the mitigation of their effects. Accidents involving maritime boats are rather prevalent in inland and coastal navigation, both of which have the potential to not properly adhere to the necessary safety regulations. This is a very important issue since incidents of this kind have a negative influence on the safety of ships in inland/coastal and inland waterways, particularly in developing nations.

In recent years, the number of cases of marine vessel casualties involving personal injury, deaths, and damage to property or the environment has increased in tandem with the increased vessel traffic associated with oil prospecting activities and other forms of commercial seaborne transportation in the Niger-Delta and coastal regions of Nigeria. These incidents have resulted in personal injury, deaths, and damage to property as well as the environment. For instance, statistics (cumulative figures) based on the research conducted by Darbra,(2022) indicate that between the years 2000 and 2009, a total of five hundred and fifty-two (552) people died either as a result of marine vessel and boat capsizing or collision in the inland waters of Nigeria. These fatalities occurred in Nigeria. This number shows that there has been an average mortality rate of around 55 fatalities per year, excluding losses of vessel and cargo, on Nigeria's coastal and interior waterways during the course of the last 10 years. On the basis of anecdotal information from some of the incidents that have been studied, the following factors have been implicated: over-loading, excessive speeding, insufficient attention to weather conditions, abandoned wrecks on navigation channels, ineptitude, and inadequate navigational aids. There have been reports of incidents involving marine boats at sea (and in seaports) that are quite similar to those in other parts of the world. As an example, Darbra (2022) carried out research on 471 instances of maritime accidents that had place in Hong Kong between the years 1941 and 2002. They found that 57 percent of mishaps happened when the vessel was moving across the water, whereas just 43 percent of incidents took place at ports. There are many different causes that have been identified; for instance, the Maritime Safety Authority of New Zealand claims that between the years 1995 and 1996, human factors were responsible for 49% of marine vessel incidents, while technical factors were responsible for 35%, and environmental factors were responsible for 16%. According to Dogarawa (2020), between 75 and 96 percent of marine vessel casualties are caused at least in part by some sort of human mistake. This information comes from a study that was conducted. Human error is responsible for 84–88 percent of tanker accidents, 79 percent of towing vessel groundings, 89–96 percent of collisions, 75 percent of all collisions, and 75 percent of fires and explosions, according to further empirical research (Greene, 2021).

In a similar vein, Jina. (2022) notes that a study conducted by the UK Thomas P&I Club on 1,500 insurance claims for maritime accidents that occurred all over the globe between 1987 and 1990 found that ninety percent of accidents were the result of human error. Human error was to blame for two-thirds of the incidents that resulted in personal injury claims. This might have been due to carelessness or recklessness under the influence of business pressures, a false feeling of overconfidence, or a lack of either knowledge or experience. In the context of this discussion, the term "human factor" refers to any one of the following: a wrong judgment, a poorly executed action, or an inappropriate absence of action. Jina (2022) provides this definition (inaction). These numbers are concerning when considered in light of the number of actions taken so far by local and international organizations to enhance the quality of shipping and navigation standards.

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