Asian Journal of Shipping and Logistics | 2026
Authors: Alam M.R.B.; Rifaat S.M.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajsl.2026.05.001
Journal: Asian Journal of Shipping and Logistics
Year: 2026
Publisher: Korean Association of Shipping and Logistics, Inc.
Document Type: Article
Open Access: All Open Access; Gold Open Access
Cited by: 0
Bangladesh is a South Asian developing country where inland waterways are one of the popular modes of transportation. Locally available passenger-carrying vessels, such as launches, ferries, trawlers, speedboats, and country boats, are used to cross rivers and travel between regions connected by waterways. For long-distance travel, although waterways are more economical compared to roadways, this mode is considered unsafe due to frequent occurrence of severe injuries caused by accidents. To mitigate the dangers associated with inland waterway passenger vessel accidents, it is essential to identify the underlying factors contributing to injury severity. However, these factors remain largely unexplored, particularly within the context of developing countries. This study investigates the significant factors related to the injury severity of passenger-carrying vessels involved in waterway accidents. An analysis was conducted on 337 passenger vessel accidents that occurred on inland waterways between 1983 and 2017. In this study, injury severity has been categorized into three levels: no injury, injury, and fatal injury. Mixed-ordered probit regression, with variations in means and variances, has been utilized to identify the significant factors that affect injury severity. This study found that accident year, month, and time; accident route and cause; final condition of the vessel after an accident; collision type; and the qualification of the vessel master have fixed effects on passenger vessel injury severity, whereas the coefficients for accident location, vessel width, number of vessels involved, and availability of a compass vary randomly. Among these significant factors, fatal injury is mostly affected by accident location, final condition, and vessel width. These findings may help policymakers and regulatory authorities take the necessary steps to reduce the injury severity of inland waterway accidents. © 2026 The Authors.
Injury severity; Inland waterway; Marginal effect; Mixed coefficient; Ordered probit