Open Journal of Safety Science and Technology, 2019, 9, 83-92 http://www.scirp.org/journal/ojsst ISSN Online: 2162-6006 ISSN Print: 2162-5999 DOI: 10.4236/ojsst.2019.93006 Aug. 12, 2019 83 Open Journal of Safety Science and Technology Prevalent Safety Hazards and Safety Practices in Maritime Transportation in Selected States in Southern Nigeria Selema M. Nwoye 1,2 , Charles Oyegun 1 , John N. Ugbebor 1,2 1 Center for Occupational Health, Safety and Environment, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria 2 Institute of Petroleum Engineering Studies, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria Abstract This study seeks to determine existing safety hazards and practices in the in- land water transportation sector in selected states of southern Nigeria. A cross-sectional research design was adopted for the study and the target pop- ulation for the study included the operators, commuters and regulators of in- land water transportation in the study areas. Data were collected through questionnaires, field observations and oral interviews. A total of 2375 ques- tionnaires were distributed across the six states. The study showed that a wide range of maritime safety hazards and practices bedeviled the inland water transportation sector in Nigeria. The findings of the study showed that the use of incompetent boat operators was the most prevailing maritime hazard in the study area, because it ranked highest, with 72.6% of respondents in agreement, while non-compliance to alcohol and drug policies by operators, no use of journey management forms and safety briefs rarely conducted be- fore departure were the highest ranked unsafe practices with 70.8%, 72.7% and 72% respondents in agreement respectively. The study recommended that relevant authorities, such as Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) should provide competent and trained boat operators, construct standard jetties, ensure standard and routinely maintained boats are used and ensure maritime safety standards and regulations are adhered to by boat op- erators and maritime workers to prevent incidents and breakdown of boats along waterways in the study area. Keywords Safety Hazards, Safety Practices, Maritime Transportation How to cite this paper: Nwoye, S.M., Oyegun, C. and Ugbebor, J.N. (2019) Pre- valent Safety Hazards and Safety Practices in Maritime Transportation in Selected States in Southern Nigeria. Open Journal of Safety Science and Technology, 9, 83-92. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojsst.2019.93006 Received: July 2, 2019 Accepted: August 9, 2019 Published: August 12, 2019 Copyright © 2019 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access