A Statistical Analysis of Ship Accidents (1990–2020) Focusing on Collision, Grounding, Hull Failure, and Resulting Hull Damage

Abstract

In this work, over a thousand maritime casualty reports were reviewed in order to fully investigate and assess selected 213 marine accidents concerning the collision, grounding, and hull failure of ships, which occurred during the time period of 1990–2020, worldwide. Ship type and vessels’ main characteristics, as well as the cause of accidents, were categorized and analyzed statistically. The statistical software IBM SPSS© Statistics v.29 was employed for the investigation of a possible association between the above set criteria. Furthermore, the location and the extent of hull damage was extracted for all incidents, providing valuable insights into the resulting consequences for vessel integrity. These data are essential for estimating the accident’s impact on the viability of the ship, crew, and cargo. According to the main results obtained, significant correlations are deduced regarding the analyzed parameters. In collision accidents, these include the ship type, the location of the damage, visibility and age of the ship, the impact of the accident, and the type of casualty. In the case of grounding incidents, correlations emerge involving the type of ships, day/night period, the width of the resulting damage, the type of casualty, and the cause of accidents.