A discussion of risk influencing factors for maritime accidents based on investigation reports

Abstract

This paper reports findings from a review of investigation reports from maritime accidents. Based on a systematic analysis of 95 reports, we discuss a selection of typical causes and circumstances for serious maritime accidents. A systematic review of 95 investigation reports on grounding and collision from 11 different investigation boards was performed for this study. In this paper, we will build on these texts and qualitatively assess their conclusions. In particular, we show how key causes for grounding and collisions tend to be found in a group of operational conditions and circumstances. In the process of systematically identifying and coding causes of accidents, we have qualitatively and from a more open analytical perspective identified five reoccurring circumstances or influencing factors for accidents: 1) pilotage and related activities, 2) failure to use navigational aids 3) inadequate navigational attention 4) no lookout and for collisions: 5) the meeting of large vessels and fishing boats. We will detail and seek to explain these reoccurring circumstances, and also discuss how they should be addressed.