European Maritime Safety Agency

MARINE
CASUALTIES AND
INCIDENTS
PRELIMINARY ANNUAL OVERVIEW
OF MARINE CASUALTIES
AND INCIDENTS 2014-2020
April 2021
 Foreword

Based on casualties reported by the national accident
investigation bodies of the EU, the total number of casualties
in 2020 has reduced 18% in comparison with 2019. Such
positive result should be considered within the context of
the on-going Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has
been impacting the intensity of global shipping.
The most positive results were found in the number of lives
lost (reduction of 48% in 2020 compared to the year 2019)
and the number of injured persons (drop of 36%).
Between 2019 and 2020, figures indicate a reduction
of occurrences for almost all ship types, with a greater
reduction for cargo ships (15%) and passenger ships (44%).
However, the number of fishing vessels involved in marine
accidents remained at a similar level in 2020, as fishing
activity was likely much less impacted by the COVID-19
pandemic.
Accident to persons represented 37% of all marine
casualties. In comparison with 2019, a drop of 28% was
noted.
In 2020, 7 vessels were lost, 5 of them being fishing vessels.
The number of pollutions resulting from marine casualties
continued decreasing in 2020. Since 2014, an overall
reduction of 68% was noted.
Accident Investigation bodies of the European Union have
launched 923 investigations during the past 6 years, among
them 757 were concluded. 74 investigations were initiated
in 2020. The overall number of investigations led to 2011
safety recommendations and actions taken, targeting mainly
Ship Related Procedures / Operations and Human Factors /
Training, skills and experience.

Navigational events (collisions, groundings and contacts)

represented the biggest part of casualties with a ship (43%).
A reduction of 15% of casualties with a ship was noted.

2020
Overview of key
MARITIME figures for 2020
CASUALTIES
KEY FIGURES (extracted in February 2021)

2632 36 618
ACCIDENTS FATALITIES PERSONS
& INCIDENTS INJURED

7 31 74
SHIPS POLLUTION INVESTIGATIONS
LOST EVENTS LAUNCHED

2
 European Maritime Safety Agency

Severity of marine casualties and incidents

3500
3340
3244 3243 3261 3265 3225
3000

2632
2500

2000
1901 1922 1964
1819 1841
1723
1500 1458

1000
880 831 799 852
706 769
645 635
559 584 499
500 451 411 417

94 88 79 62 106 75 40
0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Total

Very serious Serious Less serious Marine

marine casualty marine casualty marine casualty Incident

Grounding of M/V Rinella M near Barbarinac Island (Croatia) on 06/02/2020. Photo credit: HR/AIN

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 Ship types involved
2000
1793
Cargo ship
1576 1574 1563
1515 1499
1500
1272 Passenger ship

1000 917 957

867 854 880 863 Fishing vessel

625 640
572 580 603 628
461 553
500 Service ship
487
433 397 394 407
346 287

170 124 171 79

113 101 110 Other ship
0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Consequences to persons

Fatalities Crew Passengers Other Total

140

116 119
120

106
100 99 95
86
80
69
60 58
48 62
44 50 36
40 35

20 14 12 7
3 1 4 5 4 3 5 0 1
0 0 0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Injuries
1400

1236
1200

995 1003 1041 957

1000 969
949
796 816 832
800 772 767

600 565 618

400
251
200 166 175 161 172
136
36 33 51 34 24 30 40 13
0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

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 European Maritime Safety Agency

Casualties with ships

Repartition Progression
2014/2020 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2019/2020

Capsizing/ 0.7% 18 21 12 19 19 20 7
Listing

Collision 12.8% 334 296 320 297 293 295 165

Contact 17.2% 393 409 357 424 393 370 349

Damage/
loss of 14.7% 289 363 358 314 348 320 310
equipment

Fire/Explosion 6.3% 161 175 134 134 138 134 115

Flooding/ 2.7% 82 78 53 71 43 56 40
Foundering

Grounding/ 13% 335 332 295 298 312 253 216

stranding

Hull failure 0.4% 7 17 22 5 5 4 2

Loss
32.1% 602 583 684 756 772 863 767
of control

Missing ? 0% 0 0 2 1 1 2 1

Accidents to persons
Repartition Progression
2014/2020 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2019/2020

Body movement under 7.6% 54 51 69 67 108 87 87

or with physical stress

Body movement without 19.9% 208 227 209 164 165 239 162
any physical stress

Breakage, bursting,
splitting, fall, collapse 7.7% 100 92 72 67 70 68 60
of material agent
Deviation by overflow,
overturn, leak, flow, 4.4% 48 68 41 32 39 40 34
vaporisation, emission

Deviation due to electrical 1.4% 20 22 15 7 14 7 9

problems, explosion, fire

Loss of control of machine,

means of transport, 17.3% 200 204 179 205 174 138 94
handling equipment
Slipping - Stumbling
and falling - 36.7% 423 403 388 366 364 374 218
Fall of persons

Other / Unspecified 5.1% 17 47 60 65 60 47 56

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 Loss of ships

Cargo ship 18 Fishing vessel 97 Passenger ship 12 Service ship 18 Other ship 19
20 20 20 20 20

15 15 15 15 15

10 10 10 10 10

5 5 5 5 5

0 0 0 0 0
14 15 16 17 18 19 20

20
20
20

20

20 6

2019
20 8
2014
2015
20 20 20 20 20 20 20
20 6

20 9

2017
20 6

2019

20 6
20 8

20 9
2014
20 8

20 8
2014

2014
2015
2015

2015
2017
2017

2017

1
1

1
1
1

1
1

20
20
20

20

Pollutions resulting from marine accidents

110

100 98

90

80
75
70
63
59 59 61
60

50
44 42
39 42
40 37
31
30

20 21
20
14 14 13 12 13 14
10
2 11 7
9 8 8
7 3
0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Total Pollution (bunkers) Pollution (cargo) Air pollution

6
 European Maritime Safety Agency

Investigations and outcomes

923
Investigations
launched

49.9% 41.5% 7.5% 1.1%

Very serious Serious Less serious Marine
marine casualties marine casualties marine casualties incident

757
Investigation
reports

Safety
recommendations
2011
20% Human Factors
49% of which relate to training and skills

47% Ship related procedures

40% of which relate to operations

15% Ship structure and equipment

36% of which relate to ship equipment/system

3% Shore and water equipment

27% of which relate to shore
and water navigation aids
15% Other Procedures 7
38% of which relate to compliance
 ABOUT THE EUROPEAN
MARITIME SAFETY AGENCY
The European Maritime Safety Agency is one of the
European Union’s decentralised agencies. Based in
Lisbon, the Agency’s mission is to ensure a high level
of maritime safety, maritime security, prevention of and
response to pollution from ships, as well as response
to marine pollution from oil and gas installations.
The overall purpose is to promote a safe, clean and
economically viable maritime sector in the EU.
ABOUT CASUALTY DATA
AND EMCIP
This publication contains statistics on marine casualties
and incidents that: involve ships flying a flag of one
of the EU Member States; occur within EU Member
States’ territorial sea and internal waters; or involve other
substantial interests of the EU Member States.
The figures presented provide a general overview of the
safety of maritime transport in the scope of European
interests.

More detailed information can be found at:

www.emsa.europa.eu/accident-investigation-publications.html
and at:
https://portal.emsa.europa.eu/emcip-public/#/public-
occurrences
© European Maritime Safety Agency, 2021

Photo credits
Cover image: Fire on board M/V New Diamond on 03/09/2020
(Sri Lanka Navy); Back page: Collision in Baltic Sea on 23/09/2020
between M/V ICE ROSE, a refrigerated cargo ship, and a navy ship
(DK/DMAIB).

emsa.europa.eu

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