• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.918-927
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes of collisions by examining 668 cases of merchant ship collision accidents that occurred during the past 12 years (2010-2021) and analyzed them statistically. Further, the analysis results were applied to propose a human error prevention collision avoidance (HEPCA) model. The statistical annual report of the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal (KMST) and the collision investigation report were investigated to collect data on the causes of collisions of merchant ships, and frequency analysis was performed using the statistical analysis tool, SPSS Statistics. In the first-stage analysis, the causes of collisions were analyzed targeting 668 merchant ship collision accidents, and in the second-stage analysis, the identified maximum frequency cause factors were analyzed in detail. The analysis results identified that 98 % of the cause of the collision was the human error of the navigator, and the highest frequency was in the order of neglect of look-out > violation of navigation regulations > improper maneuvering. The cause of the neglect of look-out was mainly neglecting continuous monitoring after the first recognition of the target ship. The HEPCA model for human error prevention was proposed by applying the analysis results to the collision case of the investigation report. The results of this study are expected to be used as educational materials at marine navigator educational institutions and in practice for avoiding collisions caused by human errors of navigators.