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

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.