Incidences and Trend of Marine Accident Fatalities in Various River Routes Connecting the Major Sea Ports of Nigeria

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science (IJRIAS) |Volume VIII, Issue IV, April 2023|ISSN 2454-6194

Incidences and Trend of Marine Accident Fatalities in Various River Routes Connecting the Major Sea Ports of Nigeria

Ogboeli, Goodluck, Prince, Iyama, William Azuka* and Onuegbu, Williams
Institute of Geosciences and Environmental Management, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
*Corresponding Author
DOI: https://doi.org/10.51584/IJRIAS.2023.8413

Received: 12 March 2023; Revised: 28 March 2023; Accepted: 01 April 2023; Published: 3 May 2023

Abstract: The study investigated the incidences and trends of marine accident fatalities in various river routes connecting the major sea ports in Nigeria. This was necessitated by the various cases of deaths, drop in government revenue and presence of wrecks from abandoned boats and ships in the coastal waters. The cross-sectional survey research design was adopted relying on both primary, secondary data and the use hypothesis to draw conclusions. Primary data was got through acquisition from satellite imageries from the loading and exit point of various river routes and designed questionnaires distributed while secondary data such as accident and disaster occurrence was collected several marine sector regulatory agencies in charge of the marine sector for a period of thirty (30) years (1989 to 2018). The study showed that river route incidence is dependent primarily on the population of the destination route and its frequency of usage. Although, other factors such as poor visibility, channel width and sharp bends, inaccurate meanders and over speeding increased its probability of occurrences. Study also found that areas without alternative transport route experienced high incidences of boat accidents compared to areas with road transport exits that suffer exorbitant fair and proximity challenges. There was no statistically significant relationship between the length of the water route and the frequency of incidence (r=0.006; p>0.05). Hence study recommends that Security agencies in charge of maritime routes should be equipped with modern surveillance gadgets, combatant firearm, and warships to enhance maritime security and other response operations.

Keywords: Marine, Fatalities, Sea Ports, Brass, Tombia, River route, Bakana

I. Introduction

The use of water ways is one of transportation alternatives available to most riverine, however it is an integral part of the overall transportation system. It is predominantly intermodal transportation because a high percentage of waterway traffic is interchanged with other transportation modes (Ibeawuchi, 2013). For the riverine who can use the water way system, it provides a low-cost alternative. Inland waterway transportation ranks at or near the top among other transportation modes in terms of ton-miles produced per unit of energy consumed, and the number of employees and man-hours as well as other resource inputs. It is an important factor in assuring the Nation of a highly competitive and efficient transportation system (Brown & Savage, 1996).

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