Causative Factors Analysis of Passenger Vessel Accidents in Inland Waterways of Bangladesh
| dc.contributor.author | Alam, Md. Ridwan Bin | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-24T10:18:32Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-10-25 | |
| dc.description | Supervised by Prof. Dr. Shakil Mohammad Rifaat, Professor and Head of the department, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) , Islamic University of Technology (IUT), Board Bazar, Gazipur-1704, Bangladesh. This thesis was submitted for partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science in Civil Engineering. | |
| dc.description.abstract | Bangladesh is a South Asian country that relies heavily on inland waterways as one of its primary modes of transportation. Locally available passenger-carrying vessels, such as launches, ferries, trawlers, speedboats, and country boats, are commonly used to cross rivers and travel between regions connected by waterways. While this mode of transportation is the most economical and environmentally friendly, it is often regarded as unsafe due to the severe accidents that pose significant risks to passengers’ lives. To mitigate the dangers associated with inland waterway passenger vessel accidents, it is essential to identify the underlying factors contributing to the causes and severity of these incidents. This study investigates the key factors related to inland waterway accidents, focusing on three core aspects: injury severity, the final condition of the vessel, and the causes of accidents. A dataset comprising 337 inland passenger vessel accidents between 1983 and 2017 was analyzed. Injury severity was categorized into three levels: no injury, injury, and fatal injury; vessel condition was classified as either sunk or afloat; and accident causes were divided into collision, overloading, storm, and other miscellaneous reasons. Three separate analyses were conducted, using the ordered probit model for injury severity, the binary logit model for the final condition of the vessel, and the multinomial logit model for the causes of accidents. Mixed-coefficients models were also employed in each study to identify the presence of heterogeneity across observations. Additionally, marginal effect analyses were performed to quantify the effect of a change in an independent variable on the dependent variables injury severity, final condition of vessel, and accident causes. xi The timing, route and cause of the accident; vessel dimensions and condition after the accident; master’s qualifications; and collision type were all significantly associated with injury severity. Furthermore, higher age of vessels, high number of passengers and lack of navigational tools contributed to vessel sinking. Factors related to collision-prone accidents were closely associated with the presence of navigation equipment, the number of vessels and an operator’s recognition regarding responsibilities, while factors for storm-related accidents were based on seasonal patterns and lack of experienced operators. Such findings can provide a comprehensive outlook for the dynamics of inland waterway accidents in Bangladesh and policy recommendations. One of the preconditions for safer and secure Inland Waterway Transportation in countries like Bangladesh is that all existing vessels should be regulated to ensure compliance with strictly enforced safety standard, design accessibility requirements as well as regulation (including age regulations). The enhancement of crew skills, strict application of the capacity limitation for vessels and reinforcement of emergency response can greatly reduce the damage caused by accidents. Furthermore, specific enforced measures on high-risk sections such as during the monsoon season could be aimed to reduce fatal casualties and improve overall accident situation. | |
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| dc.identifier.uri | https://repository.iutoic-dhaka.edu/handle/123456789/2759 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), Islamic University of Technology (IUT), Board Bazar, Gazipur-1704, Bangladesh | |
| dc.title | Causative Factors Analysis of Passenger Vessel Accidents in Inland Waterways of Bangladesh | |
| dc.type | Thesis |
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