More and more ships, more and more safety at sea
Working on a ship remains dangerous. The number of ships in maritime transport is growing. Passenger transport is developing dynamically, especially in tourism. The risk of accidents remains high on fishing vessels and those carrying live animals. Older vessels are particularly vulnerable, and there are still many of them.
From 2019 to 2023, an average of 2,344 accidents occurred each year involving at least one vessel flying the flag of an EU Member State covered by applicable EU regulations, warned Santiago Encabu, Head of the Safety Unit at the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), during the European Maritime Safety Conference: Safety First, which took place in Lisbon on December 8th.
The number of accidents reported to the European Maritime Accident Information Platform (EMCIP), managed by EMSA, decreased by 16% between 2019 and 2023 compared to the period covered by the first EMSAFE report, the European Maritime Safety Agency reports in its latest “The 2025 European Maritime Safety Report.”
The second edition of the EMSAFE European Maritime Safety Report provides a comprehensive and fact-based overview of a wide range of maritime safety issues, as well as an in-depth analysis of specific technical areas selected based on European Union (EU) interests.
Fatal accidents on ships in EU countries
EUROSTAT also highlights the number of accidents on ships in its latest report. Fatal accidents are among the most serious incidents. Between 2020 and 2024, 15 passengers died in accidents recorded in the EU, 13 of which occurred in 2022, representing almost 50% of all fatalities that year (44.8%). The number of incidents resulting in crew fatalities is low, but worrying.
The number of fatal accidents increased from 16 in 2020 to 24 in 2021, accounting for 92.3% of the fatalities that year, before falling to 13 in 2022 and 9 in 2023. A slight increase was recorded in 2024, when the number of fatalities among ship crews rose to 13, accounting for all fatalities that year.
In the “other persons” category, which includes service personnel, port workers, pilots, inspectors, etc., five people lost their lives accidentally between 2020 and 2024. Two people died in this category in 2021 and three in 2022, while no fatalities were recorded in 2020, 2023, or 2024, according to EUROSTAT.
(Un)Safety in Port and at Sea
“Our waters are among the busiest in the world, with nearly 800,000 port calls per year,” writes Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, in the foreword to the EMSAFE report. The report emphasizes: “Over time, Europe has built one of the most advanced and comprehensive maritime safety systems in the world.”
This includes specialized systems for ships such as high-speed craft and ro-pax vessels, a robust second-line of security through Port State Control inspections, and, most importantly, constantly evolving legal regulations that support high-quality technical inspections of ships, crew safety, and maritime security.
Inspection map. Source: Presentation by Santiago Encabu, Head of the Safety Unit at EMSA
EMSAFE provides analyses covering the development, application, and status of EU and international safety standards in the maritime transport of goods and passengers, and in fisheries. EMSA’s team continuously identifies potential risk areas on ships resulting from crew errors or negligence, or technical malfunctions.
The report was developed to inspire shipowners, management companies, and crews to improve maritime safety. EMSA management emphasizes that “overall, the report aims to contribute to a better understanding of the safety challenges and opportunities affecting the maritime sector by compiling a set of key technical data on ship safety and operation.”
Safety Culture on Board
The report emphasizes its comprehensiveness and comprehensiveness, as it “combines information from various databases maintained by EMSA, enriched by consultations with stakeholders, offering the opportunity to cross-analyze data and obtain detailed information on the state of maritime safety in the EU.”
The information contained in the report on threats on ships and the key trends it highlights are extremely valuable, even though the basic data in the second edition of the report covers the years 2019–2023. They create a culture of conduct on board, caring for crew, passengers, the ship, and cargo, and foster a culture of work and safety.
“Such a safety culture is essential for the EU maritime transport sector,” emphasizes Apostolos Tzitzikostas, justifying this by stating that “EU member states control approximately one-third of the global passenger ship fleet.”
Conventions Governing the Safety of Shipping. Source: EMSA
About a quarter of the world’s gas and chemical tankers are owned by Europeans. Europe is also a leader in the implementation of alternative fuels, which requires uncompromising safety standards to protect life at sea, protect the marine environment, and defend the EU’s strategic maritime interests.
“EMSAFE also poses other challenges that must be addressed, and passenger ship safety is one of them,” emphasizes Maja Markovčić Kostelac, Executive Director of the European Maritime Safety Agency, in her introduction to “The 2025 European Maritime Safety Report.” European ports serve approximately 400 million passengers each year. Passenger ships are therefore an important factor in facilitating the free movement of people within the European Union. They also constitute an essential means of transportation for many island communities.
Aging Fleet
Maja Markovčić Kostelac warns that there is a noticeable “aging trend in the EU passenger fleet, and it shows no signs of decreasing ship age.” This raises safety concerns. “EMSAFE provides important information on fishing vessels. 68% of the EU fishing fleet currently consists of vessels under 24 meters in length and over 25 years old,” EMSA’s director points out.
Based on the data contained in the report, she states that “the vulnerability of fishing vessels to accidents cannot be overstated; they account for 17% of the total number of accidents recorded each year under current EU regulations and 60% of the total number of vessels lost.”
During the period under review, serious accidents (vessels damaged to the point of being unfit for further navigation, serious injuries, minor environmental damage) accounted for 27.8% of all recorded accidents. Very serious accidents (fatalities, total loss of vessel, serious environmental damage) accounted for 2.2% of all accidents, EMSA writes.
“In 2023, 22 people died and 741 were injured in accidents involving ships flying the flag of EU member states. The highest number of fatalities was recorded in accidents involving cargo ships, which constitute approximately 49% of the fleet, followed by fishing vessels and service vessels,” Santiago Encabu reported during the European Maritime Safety Conference: Safety First.
Safe Ships Flying EU Flags
Currently, however, there is no centralized database of inspection results conducted by flag states. Therefore, data from a dedicated inspection system for ro-pax and high-speed craft vessels is used at the EU level. This data is collected in the THETIS-EU database maintained by EMSA. The results of these inspections indicate that 38% of all identified deficiencies relate to fire safety.
Data from audits of International Maritime Organization (IMO) member states determined compliance with regulations by ships registered with official maritime authorities or certified by recognized organizations. It was found that states that grant access to their flags continue to delegate authority to authorities or recognized organizations, both for conducting statutory inspections and issuing certificates.
In 2024, two-thirds of all EU member states entrusted the issuance of passenger ship safety certificates, in whole or in part, to a recognized organization, representing a 10% increase compared to 2020, according to EMSA. The report states that “a similar trend was observed in the delegation of authority to issue certificates under the International Safety Management Code.”
There are 110 organizations worldwide recognized by at least one flag. Among the recognized organizations whose certificates guarantee high-quality ship safety is the Polish Register of Shipping. The number of authorized authorities or organizations increased by 15% compared to 2020. Only 11 new organizations were recognized by the European Commission. In October 2022, the EU withdrew its recognition of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping.
EMSA found that “Nearly 70,000 fishing vessels currently fly the flags of EU Member States.” This represents a 6% reduction in the fleet since 2020. It noted that, despite the introduction of new vessels, the EU Member States’ fleet of floating fisheries vessels is generally aging. EMSAFE reports that 70% of vessels are now over 25 years old, as only 2% of the entire fishing fleet was renewed between 2019 and 2023.
This is not a bad result. By comparison, at the end of 2023, there were 145 livestock vessels in the global fleet, with an average age of 38.5 years. EMSA notes that “only a fraction of these vessels fly EU flags (10%, i.e., 14 vessels with an average age of 15.8 years), but many older vessels fly high-risk flags and call at EU ports.”
For example, the average age of LNG carriers flying EU flags is around 10 years, while oil tankers and chemical tankers are around 14 years old. The average age of container ships operated by European shipowners is around 13 years, bulk carriers around 22 years, ro-ro vessels approaching 18 years, and passenger ships around 29 years old. EMSA emphasizes that only 3% of all fishing vessels registered in an EU Member State are 24 meters long or longer, while 6% are between 15 and 24 meters long. The remaining vessels (91%) are under 15 meters long, EMSA reports.
Fishing vessels are particularly vulnerable to accidents. This makes them subject to special attention in terms of safety inspections. EMSA notes that crews on these vessels should be trained “to apply enhanced safety measures.” Fishing vessels account for 17% of the total number of accidents recorded each year. Fishing fleets flying EU flags account for 60% of the total number of vessel losses. In 2023, 55% of these accidents had very serious or serious consequences.
“This publication comes at an important time for the European maritime sector, which is undergoing profound changes,” emphasizes the EMSA Director, explaining: “The opportunities presented by new technologies, digitalization, and alternative fuels for shipping bring with them safety risks that must be fully understood and mitigated.”
Therefore, “EMSA provides research, tools, and analyses to support national administrations, industry, port authorities, regulators, and other relevant stakeholders in the transformation process towards a smarter, more sustainable, and digital future.” EMSA has been working to promote ship safety for approximately 25 years. Thanks to this organization’s work, ship safety is improving, training programs for deckhands and technical crews are being modernized, and the safety culture on board is improving. Unfortunately, these measures and regulations are not being implemented on the growing shadow fleet and zombie ships.