India’s Directorate General of Shipping Marine Safety Investigation Report 2024 has been published — which highlighted a 21.6% escalation in reported casualties compared to the previous year.
Last year, there was a total of 186 incidents with 78 marine casualties and 108 non-operational incidents. In 2023, there were 153 incidents with 74 casualties and 79 non-operational incidents. This showed a 21.6% increase in reported casualties in 2024 from 2023.
Compared to 2023, non-operational incidents in 2024 rose by 36.7%, with noticeable increases in desertion and missing crew cases contributing to the overall shift.
The report also highlighted that there were zero cases of desertion or suicide were reported on Indian-flagged vessels in 2024, reflecting a steady crew environment with no such incidents recorded.
Key Highlights of marine casualties:
- An upward trend was observed in total collision incidents, rising from 5 in 2023 to 10 in 2024.
- Fire and explosion cases declined by over 50%, from 13 in 2023 to 6 in 2024.
- Indian-flagged vessels were involved in just 1 fire/explosion case, down from 7 in 2023.
- Occupational casualties remained the highest among marine incidents, though slightly decreased from 50 in 2023 to 47 in 2024.
- Only 4 of the 47 occupational incidents involved Indian-flagged vessels, accounting for just 8.5% of the total.
- Bulk carriers, Container Vessel and Oil tankers were the most frequently involved in marine casualties.
- No major pollution incidents were reported during the year, despite an overall rise in casualties.
- Loss of anchor/propeller cases emerged in 2024 with 2 incidents — none were reported in 2023.
- Indian-flagged vessel involvement in both fire/explosion and occupational cases showed a downward trend.
Shri Shyam Jagannathan, IAS Director General Of Shipping said: “During the reporting period, we observed a concerning number of incidents. These trends point to the urgent need for stricter compliance with safety management systems (SMS), more rigorous audits of vessel preparedness, and continued investment in human element training, particularly in shipboard risk awareness. Accordingly, the Directorate is strengthening its post-incident investigation processes to improve the precision of rootcause determinations and to institutionalize learnings in a timely manner.
“This report should not be read merely as a compliance document. It is a signal to all maritime stakeholders—shipowners, training providers, classification societies, unions, and seafarers themselves—that data-driven vigilance must be central to our safety ethos. Maritime casualties are not just statistics; each entry is tied to a person, a family, and a disruption of life at sea.
“Our direction is clear: we are building a casualty response system that is anticipatory rather than reactive, and a safety culture that is owned collectively across the Indian maritime ecosystem.”
Read the full report: India DGS Marine Safety Investigation Report 2024