AMSA received a total of 12,349 marine incident reports in the period 2016 to 2019, according to the first marine incident annual report for regulated Australian and foreign flagged commercial vessels in Australian waters. The data suggests a significant upward trend in serious incidents between 2018 and 2019, demonstrating the need for a concerted effort on improving safety.
The 2019 annual report presents an analysis of marine incidents including fatalities reported to AMSA. The vast majority of incidents are of a technical nature (78.4%).
The increased reporting rate is a positive sign in terms of industry commitment to safety, and suggests that industry engagement initiatives are yielding results. However, the upward trend in serious incidents between 2018 and 2019 indicates that a concerted effort on improving safety, and safety culture should remain a priority for the maritime sector, AMSA notes.
Key figures 2016-2019
Between 2016 and 2019, AMSA received a total of 12,349 marine incident reports.
There was an increasing number of reports received each successive year.
The increase in reporting trends specifically of less serious incidents across each year is viewed as a positive trend with more awareness on the importance of reporting marine incidents.
In 2019, there was a total of 3,371 marine incidents reported to AMSA.
On average, 96.4% of incidents reported each year are less serious incidents.
The number of very serious incidents has been stable over the last four years with a total of seven very serious incidents reported between the 2016 to 2019 period. One occurred in 2016 and two annually from 2017 through 2019.
In 2019, 0.06% of reported incidents were very serious (2), 4.2% serious (141) and 95.8% less serious (3228).
Reported incidents by vessel type
Between 2016 and 2019, 4909 unique vessels were associated with the 12,349 marine incident reports. This represents an average of 2.5 incidents reported per vessel over the four year period. Annually, the average of 1.7 incidents reported per vessel has remained consistent. In 2019, 2004 unique vessels were involved in the 3371 marine incidents reported.
In 2019, the majority (54.5%) of incident reports came from bulk carriers followed by container vessels. This is consistent with previous years’ data.
In 2019, bulk carriers represented 55.4% of reported marine incidents and 50.4% of port arrivals. Although passenger vessels only represented 3.9% of port arrivals, they represented 7.1% of reported incidents. Similarly, special purpose vessels represented 1.4% of 2019 port arrivals but 4.3% of reported incidents.
Fatalities
Between 2016 and 2019, there were seven fatalities associated with seven incidents. All occurred on foreign-flagged vessels. Six involved crew members and one was a passenger fatality. Of the six crew fatalities, two involved elevator maintenance, one was a result of an electrical shock and three of the crew fatalities involved falls.
Read the report in full: AMSA report: Serious marine incidents increase in 2018-2019 in Australian waters
Read another AMSA article: New AMSA national compliance plan 2020-2021 outlines what the authority will be looking for over coming year
