UK MAIB has published its annual report for 2023, reporting that it received 1,592 reports of marine casualties and marine incidents to UK vessels or any vessels within UK coastal waters.
#1 Merchant ships
The investigations started in 2023 represent a fairly broad spread of safety issues but two accidents stand out. The first was the girting of the tug Biter in February while assisting Hebridean Princess, which resulted in the deaths of the skipper and deckhand. As Azimuth Stern Drive and Voith propelled tugs have become more common there has been a tendency to relegate conventional tugs to tasks such as cold moves or shifting barges. However, when conventional tugs are involved in ship-assist towage the risks today are the same as they always were.
According to UK MAIB, the report into this tragic accident should be published later this autumn, and will be accompanied by a short safety video that stresses the importance of using a gob rope on conventional tugs to mitigate against the risks of girting. The second was the collision between the general cargo vessel Verity and the bulk carrier Polesie in the German Bight traffic separation scheme that resulted in Verity sinking with the loss of five crew.
#2 Commercial fishing vessels
There is a temptation to measure safety in the fishing industry by the annual tally of fatalities. Each death is a tragedy, and fortunately, there are few of them; four lives were lost in 2023. This is below six, the average number of fatalities per year over the last decade. However, the year-to-year variation is significant, making it hard to determine a firm trend. A better metric for measuring fishing safety should be the total number of accidents reported to MAIB each year.
Taken at face value, the table above would indicate a sustained improvement in safety, but I am concerned that there is significant under-reporting of fishing vessel accidents.
… said Captain Andrew Moll, OBE, Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents
Twice in the last year, the branch has been contacted by lawyers supporting fishers pursuing personal injury claims, but we have found no record of their accident. In both cases, the injuries were significant, would have required hospital treatment, and the individuals had to give up their career in fishing.
These were reportable accidents, and the fact that they were ‘hidden’ speaks volumes about the safety culture on the vessels involved.
… said the Chief Inspector
Recommendations
27 recommendations were issued to 16 distinct addressees in 2023. The percentage of all recommendations that are either accepted and implemented or accepted, yet to be implemented, is 96.3%.
Fishing vessel total losses by vessel length in 2023
There were 4,956 UK registered fishing vessels at the end of 2023. During 2023, 70 casualties to vessels involving these vessels were reported to the MAIB. Figures in the following tables show casualties to vessels and injuries to crew involving UK registered vessels that were reported to the MAIB in 2023. One fishing vessel was reported lost (0.02% of the total fleet), and there were 4 fatalities to crew.
EXPLORE MORE AT UK MAIB’S ANNUAL REPORT
