The UK MAIB has released its MAIB annual report 2024. Last year, the MAIB received 1,515 reports on marine casualties/incidents and started 15 investigations — 7 of which started involved loss of life.
Overall, the MAIB recorded 1,631 reports of accidents to UK vessels worldwide or any vessels within UK coastal waters during 2024. A total of 1,753 vessels were involved.
1,510 recorded notifications were within the scope of the Merchant Shipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 2012 and five fell within the scope of the Red Ensign Group MOU. 116 were not in the scope of the Regulations or the MOU and are not included in any of the statistics contained in the report.
Merchant ships
Significant collisions between and groundings of merchant vessels show no sign of reducing. The fatal collision between Scot Carrier and Karin Høj (MAIB report 5/2023) resulted from poor watchkeeping practices. However, the collision between Scot Explorer and Happy Falcon (MAIB completed preliminary assessment 3/2024), the fatal collision between Verity and Polesie (under investigation) and the dramatic and tragic collision of the Solong into the anchored Stena Immaculate earlier this year (also under investigation), indicate a need to radically rethink the role of human watchkeepers in the digital age. Humans do not make good monitors and if under-stimulated they will find other things to occupy themselves. But, as the DMAIB/MAIB application and usability of ECDIS safety study indicated, humans can also be reluctant to utilise system functions that will alert them to impending problems. The MAIB will seek to explore this phenomenon in more depth during future investigations.
Commercial fishing vessels
Three investigations and one preliminary assessment were started into UK fishing vessels flooding/ foundering during 2024. Fortunately, none resulted in the loss of life, but the losses to flooding last year indicates how vulnerable many fishing vessels are to water ingress. Most of the UK fishing fleet have little, if any, watertight subdivision so any appreciable inflow of water can swiftly overwhelm the on board pumps. In such circumstances, raising the alarm early and being well-practised in abandonment routines can and does save lives.
As worrying as flooding is the number of deaths and serious injuries resulting from occupational accidents. Two fishing vessel crew died as a result of marine accidents in 2024, the same number as in 2020, with both years being the equal lowest recorded level of fatalities in the last decade. Less positive is that both deaths occurred on well-crewed vessels as a result of unsafe systems of work. Future MAIB investigation reports will likely develop the theme of moving beyond ‘having a risk assessment’ to the proactive management of risk.
Read the report in full: MAIB Annual Report 2024