The Accident Investigation Bureau Services involve carrying out Safety Investigations into all serious and very serious marine casualties that occurring on the Nigerian territorial sea or internal waters including the Exclusively Economic Zones of Nigeria, all accidents occurring on Nigerian vessels or vessels flagged by other states to which Nigeria has special interests.

The objective of any Marine Safety Investigation is the prevention of further similar casualties by discovering the root cause(s) behind the casualty and then promulgating actions, lessons learnt and recommendations where appropriate with a view to preventing reoccurrence. The services of the Accident Investigation Bureau also include production of safety publications, sharing lessons learnt from investigated casualties with students in Maritime Training Institutions, trending and analyzing marine incidents/accidents and advising management and other stakeholders on all matters of maritime safety on Nigerian waters.

DUTIES OF THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION BUREAU:

• To carry out safety investigation into marine casualties, with the view to ascertain the course(s) and circumstances leading to the marine incident,
• Provides lead and guidance for marine accident investigation, coordinate and supervise the effort of the accident investigation technical specialist and participant (who are provided by industry, other government agencies, and foreign authorities (for investigations involving foreign-registered ships operating in Nigeria territorial waters),
• Deduce safety lessons and recommend action that should be taken to forestall future occurrences,
• The unit also follows up on the feedback(s) from the parties to whom recommendations are addressed, to ensure effective compliance. In addition, the unit evaluates and analyzes trend of marine of marine incidents for decision making, and also publish general tips/guidelines to prevent marine accidents.

REPORTING AN ACCIDENT:
•    An accident, major or serious injury, or Hazardous Incident should be reported to the Agency and such is investigated.  Accidents should be reported by the quickest means possible and the Agency has dedicated special accident reporting lines for this purpose.  This is so they can be investigated immediately before vital evidence decays, is removed or is lost.

All incidents should be reported by the master of the vessel using the Master’s Casualty/Incident Report Form.

Completed form to be forwarded to aib@nimasa.gov.ng, msssd@nimasa.gov.ng

A marine casualty means an event, or a sequence of events, that has resulted in any of the following which has occurred directly in connection with the operations of a ship:

1. the death of, or serious injury to, a person;
2. the loss of a person from a ship;
3. the loss, presumed loss or abandonment of a ship;
4. material damage to a ship;
5. the stranding or disabling of a ship, or the involvement of a ship in a collision;
6. material damage to marine infrastructure external to a ship, that could seriously endanger the safety of the ship, another ship or an individual; or
7. Severe damage to the environment, or the potential for severe damage to the environment, brought about by the damage of a ship or ships.

However, a marine casualty does not include a deliberate act or omission, with the intention to cause harm to the safety of a ship, an individual or the environment.

A marine incident means an event, or sequence of events, other than a marine casualty, which has occurred directly in connection with the operations of a ship that endangered, or, if not corrected, would endanger the safety of the ship, its occupants or any other person or the environment. However, a marine incident does not include a deliberate act or omission, with the intention to cause harm to the safety of a ship, an individual or the environment.