Maritime Tanker Accident on Coastal Areas in Nigeria
This study though limited due to poor attitude on the part of the respondents as regards to releasing some data that would have been helpful, was still able to investigate the effect of maritime tanker accidents on coastal areas in Nigeria, with a case study of Bayelsa and Rivers State. Five hypothesis were designed for this study, the study focused on the affect of oil tanker accidents around the Nigeria coastal environment (Bayelsa and Rivers State). With emphasis on the scope of work essentially, data were collected through the administration of questionnaires to the selected people connected with tanker and environmental industry in Nigeria. The analysis of the collected data was carried out with a descriptive statistical tool like the simple percentage and pie charts which hypothesis specified were tested using chisquares test statistical tool. Result obtained shows that the major cause of marine tankers accident in Nigeria is as a result of human factor errors and this human error has greatly led to the negative effects, the tanker accidents have posed in the coastal environment (Bayelsa and Rivers State) in Nigeria. The safety practical level of the tanker industry in Nigeria had lowered drastically which for the need for proper training and certification of Nigeria oil tanker operators the level of emergence response is relatively poor as compared to other nations with massive oil maritime transport activities. Finally, the Nigerian government should fully empower and support the maritime agencies in checkmating cases of maritime pollution and environment depredation and not boycott corners process thereby sacrificing the standards for effective and efficient maritime operations in Nigeria. Recommendation were made towards the elimination of tanker accidents and the enhancement of the Nigerian coastal environment, which needed government to formulate and promulgate laws which have stringent penalties for violators of the Pollution Act. Also national authorit
