1.1 Introduction
Human factor maritime accidents are undesired events resulting from unexpected combination of conditions that lead to adverse consequences such as injury, loss of life, economic loss, environmental damage and damage to or loss of property. An evaluation made of how proactive the discussions in IMO are should not only focus on the quality of and follow up to maritime accident investigations. While accident investigation reports are a valuable source of information regarding maritime HFs, other sources should also be considered. The authors of this article understand the word ‘proactive’ to mean that an entity should try to identify safety problems and discuss possible solutions on the basis of existing knowledge, without waiting for accidents to happen.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
In recent times, cases of marine vessel casualties involving personal injury, deaths and property/ environmental damage have grown in tandem with increased vessel traffic associated with oil prospecting activities and other commercial seaborne transportation in Niger-Delta/coastal regions of Nigeria. For example, statistics (cumulative figures) based on the study carried out by Dogarawa (2012) indicate that between year 2000 to 2009, a total number of five hundred and fifty-two (552) persons died either as a result of marine vessel and boat capsizing or collision in inland waters of Nigeria. This figure indicates an average fatality rate of about 55 deaths per year excluding vessel and cargo losses, in Nigeria's coastal and inland waterways in the last ten years. Based on anecdotal evidence from some of the investigated cases; over-loading, excessive speeding, poor attention to weather condition, abandoned wrecks on navigation channels, incompetence and inadequate navigational aids are implicated.
Across the globe, similar cases of marine vessels accidents at sea (and in seaports) have been documented. For example: Darbra and Casal (2004) conducted a study on 471 cases of marine accidents that occurred from 1941-2002 in Hong Kong. They observe that 57% of the accidents occurred while vessel was underway at sea and 43% of accident in ports. Various causal factors have been documented; for example, the Maritime Safety Authority of New Zealand asserts that between the periods of 1995-1996; 49% of marine vessel incidents were attributed to human factors, 35% due to technical factors while 16% were caused by environmental factors. Similarly Rothblum (2002), reports that between 75 and 96% of marine vessel casualties are caused atleast in part by some form of human error. Further empirical evidence also indicates that human error accounts for 84-88% of tanker accidents, 79% of towing vessel groundings, 89-96% of collisions, 75% of all collisions, 75% of fires and explosions (Rothblum, 2002).
Similarly, Talley et al. (2005) observe that UK Thomas P&I Club survey of 1,500 insurance claims for shipping accidents around the world between 1987 and 1990, had found that 90% of the accidents were caused by human error. Two-thirds of the accidents involving personal injury claims were due to human error, e.g. carelessness or recklessness under commercial pressures, a misplaced sense of overconfidence, or a lack of either knowledge or experience. Human factor in this context is defined by Rothblum (2002) as one of the following:incorrect decision, an improperly performed action, or an improper lack of action (inaction). These statistics are disturbing given the level of measures so far adopted by local and international organizations to improve the standard of shipping and navigation.
Maritime safety is governed by the combination of international rules and regulations, national regulations of the flag states and port states, port regulations, rules of the Classification Societies and Insurance Companies. In addition, quite a number of conventions have been ratified by contracting governments some of which include:International Conventions on Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), Standards for Training and Watch Keeping (STCW); International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). Others are International Convention on Loadlines (LL) and Convention on International Regulations for Preventing Collision at Sea (COLREG) etc. This regulatory system, which is supported by the Safety Management Systems of the shipping companies serve as a framework for continuous assessment of safety regimes in the world maritime industry.
Prior to 1998, the focus of ratified IMO safety conventions was the vessel, e.g. its construction and equipment, rather than human actions aboard the vessel. The subsequent introduction of IMO's International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention changed the focus from the vessel to human actions on board vessel. By this code, shipping lines are now required to document their management procedures for detecting and eliminating unsafe human behavior. This shift towards regulating human actions aboard a vessel was motivated by the fact that: most vessel accidents are caused by human error; vessel accident claims are often attributed to human error; and it is less expensive to change human behavior than it is to redesign vessels for safety (Talley, et al., 2005).
Therefore, in Nigeria Water Ways where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to analyze the Maritime Human Factors and Imo Policy.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that accidents occur in almost all spheres of human existence and in most industrial occupations — manufacturing, construction, marine and air transportation, atomic energy etc. Accidents are not only injurious to lives and properties, but also hinder corporate business success. Consequently, a high level of safety performance is essential in hazardous work environments. As an unintentional event, accident involving marine vessel is common in inland and coastal navigation where requisite safety regulation may not be strictly observed. For marine organizations, an important concern is how to prevent vessel casualties involving personal injury, deaths, property and environmental damage by establishing and maintaining a culture of strict adherence to safety practices.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to analyze the Maritime Human Factors and Imo Policy. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To assess the rate of accidents militated by human factors in Imo State Waterway.
- To determine the human factors that lead to accidents in Imo State Waterway.
- To proffer solutions to the above stated problems in section 1.3.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- What is the rate of accidents militated by human factors in Imo State Waterway?
- What are the human factors that lead to accidents in Imo State Waterway?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: Human factors related to safety training, overloading of vessel and speeding are not significant causes of Imo State Waterway accidents.
- H1: Human factors related to safety training, overloading of vessel and speeding are significant causes of Imo State Waterway accidents.
Hypothesis Two
- H0: There are no significant Imo policy factors affecting maritime industry in Imo State.
- H1: There are significant Imo policy factors affecting maritime industry in Imo State.
1.7 Significance of Study
The key to preventing waterway accident caused by human related factors however is to identify the types of risk factors, and then apply relevant intervention to check those factors in the future. Many operators undertake such efforts internally, and the IMO and industry trade groups have made significant advances in developing prevention programs that address human factors.
However, there is room for improvement, both in terms of preventive initiatives and the metrics used to gauge their effectiveness. The outcome of this research will improve both our understanding of the contribution of human and other causal factors of accident involving marine vessel and hence support implementation of prevention measures that effectively target these factors.
1.8 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Analysis of Maritime Human Factors and Imo Policy using Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) as a case study.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.10 Definition of Terms
Marine: Marine is an adjective for things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology. As a noun it can be a term for a kind of navy, those enlisted in such a navy, or members of troops attached to a navy, e.g. The United States Marine Corps or the UK Royal Marines.
