Fault tree analysis of accidents occurred in lake Van and maritime activities

Maritime activities are widely carried out around the world. Within these activities, various accidents might occur such as collision, grounding, flooding, and onboard accidents. The reasons for these accidents are determined, accident reports are prepared and recorded so that necessary precautions can be taken to prevent future accidents. Since maritime activities which are carried out in inland waters are territorial, and boats navigating in these waters are in small dimensions and tonnage, the accidents records and detailed accident reports are rarely found. Despite being the largest lake in Turkey, the maritime activities in Lake Van remain territorial. Even though the quality of the activities in the lake has been tried to be increased recently with the help of the institutions and organizations founded in the territory, sufficient success has not been achieved. In this study, scientific studies related to Lake Van have been examined and the reasons for the accidents that have occurred in the lake have been revealed using questionnaires. The revealed reasons have been analyzed by means of "Fault Tree Analysis" (FTA). As a result of the study, recklessness, overconfidence, bad weather conditions and lack of communication devices have been determined as the main reasons for the accidents. Regarding to the determined reasons, keeping a close watch on the boats, and reinforcing the communication system among the boats have been recommended to minimize the accidents in the lake.