Impacts of International Safety Management Code on Prevention of Incidences and Casualties in Ship Operation in Nigerian Maritime Industry

This study investigates the impact of International Safety Management (ISM) Code on Incident and Casualty Prevention in Ship Operations in Nigerian Maritime Industry. The study identified the dependent variables to include Risk Assessment, Safety Management System, Training & Competence, Emergency Preparedness and Reporting & Investigation; while the dependent variable were Human Error Reduction, Equipment Maintenance, Crew Awareness and Safety Procedures in ship operations in Nigeria maritime industry. The research adopted survey method and structured questionnaire designed in four Likert scale was used for data collection from a population size of 384 respondents. Four objectives were hypothesized and multiple regression was used for data analysis. The study found there is strong positive relationship between the dependent and independent variables which is significant at 95% significant level. The test of the hypotheses infers that the impact of RA, SMS, TC, EP and RI; on HE Reduction, EM, CA and SP in ship operations in Nigeria maritime industry is statistically significant. The study shows that a unit increase in RA, SMS, TC, EP and RI would bring about 10.02, 4.010, 2.005, 0.526 and 1.962 degrees of changes in HER respectively; a unit increase in RA, SMS, TC, EP and RI would bring about 2.261, 3.032, .936, 1.277 and 1.340 degrees of improvement respectively on EM practice culture; a unit increase in RA, SMS, TC, EP and RI would bring about 2.123, 4.030, 2.971, 0.928 and 1.025 degrees of improvement respectively on Crew Awareness; and a unit increase in RA, SMS, TC, EP and RI would bring about .096, .228, .069, 4.123 and 1.080 degrees of improvement on SP respectively. It comes to the conclusion that improving safety culture in marine operations necessitates a multipronged strategy supported by strong corporate administrative plans and a dedication to ongoing learning and development. The strategic recommendations place a strong emphasis on the value of organizational leadership commitment, the incorporation of safety into procedures, the prudent use of technology, and an attitude of constant development in ship operations safety procedures.