The number of seafarers injured in falls has remained fairly consistent
year on year, as has the number of injuries resulting from rescue and survival
craft accidents. However, the casualty rate for enclosed space accidents has
almost doubled, the Association warns.
InterManager has submitted its figures, which span several decades, to
the 10th session of the IMO’s Sub-Committee on Implementation of IMO
Instruments, taking place from 22nd to 26th July in London. The Association’s
submission provides information and analysis in support of InterManager’s
information documents on enclosed space accidents (ranging from 1996 to 1 May
2024), fall accidents (from 2012 to 1 May 2024), and accidents involving rescue
and survival craft (from 1980 to 1 May 2024).
InterManager has
used a variety of verified data feeds to obtain this information on accidents
onboard ships. The Association notes there remains a significant lag
between accident occurrence, its investigation, and the report being uploaded
into the Marine Casualties and Incidents (MCI) module of the Global Integrated
Shipping Information System (GISIS). InterManager comments: “It would be markedly beneficial to all
analyses if this unwelcome lag could be decreased, or indeed eliminated.” Industry
statistics are undermined due to lack of transparency and hesitation in sharing
accidents. This is causing problems with accident reporting. InterManager’s
submission notes a number of accidents involving falls onboard ships are not
being recorded within GISIS nor made available elsewhere, although these
accidents are being openly reported and recorded on ship type-specific websites
and within regional media. It also notes
there have been a number of enclosed space accidents in ship repair yards which
are not currently required to report to GISIS.
The trend for the number of enclosed accidents occurring on an annual
basis appears to have stabilised over the past few years with a noticeable dip
during the global pandemic of 2021. However, when comparing 2022 and 2023, both
of which saw 14 recorded enclosed space incidents, there was a marked increase
in the number of actual casualties in 2023, compared to 2022, 34 as against 18.
Thus, although the frequency of accidents remained fairly constant, the
casualty rate almost doubled.
InterManager strongly recommends that categories of specific operations
– such as enclosed space, fall, personal transfer, lifeboat, mooring and other
– be included in the data collection database of accidents by GISIS, Flag
States, other industry organisations, including shipping companies. This will
assist regulators to review procedures, improve safety and minimise accidents.
Captain Kuba Szymanski,
InterManager Secretary General, said: “Safety
is very important to InterManager members and developing an effective safety
culture is one of the central pillars of our General Principles of Conduct and
Action. Collating these statistics on behalf of the industry enables us to
proactively assist on a number of core safety issues and we are pleased that the IMO and other industry stakeholders are
making use of them to protect the lives of seafarers.”