Fishing is world’s most dangerous occupation, says global survey
When I read this story in December 2024 despite the report coming out in October, it did not shock me, but it certainly saddened me. I guess we all know the inherent dangers that fishers the world over face. So, I read that a global safety charity is calling for urgent change and investment after its latest report named fishing as the world’s most dangerous occupation.
A quarter of fishers (26 per cent) have been harmed on the job in the last two years, according to Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s latest World Risk Poll report. Yet, data from the report shows that more than nearly three quarters (73 per cent) have never received any safety training. The figure makes fishing one of the industries with the lowest rates of training in the world.
What’s even more staggering is the extent of the sheer volume of data which was conducted by global analytics firm Gallup, which conducted 147,000 interviews in 142 countries and territories around the world. , and offers one potential explanation for the worrying figures. Like other ‘riskier’ industries, such as construction and mining, fishing skews heavily towards demographics that were found to be more at risk of harm regardless of their occupation, such as those in more precarious financial situations.
Several organisations are striving to tackle the issues around fishing. Among them is the International Fund for Fishing Safety, a Lloyd’s Register Foundation initiative managed by The Seafarers’ Charity, in partnership with the FISH Platform. The fund aims to financially support the delivery of fishing safety projects around the world and so far, £200,000 worth of grants have been awarded, supporting 65,000 fishers worldwide – but the fund’s partners say much more is needed.
“Fishing’s reputation as a dangerous occupation is well-known – but sufficient mitigative actions are obviously well overdue,” says Dr Daryl Attwood, project director at Lloyd’s Register Foundation.
I can’t offer much help I’m afraid, but I can at least highlight the plight of fishers and bring it to your attention.
Over 3,000 fake Gibson guitars seized at Los Angeles Seaport
Well, I simply could not let this gem of a story pass by. Those of us of a certain age will remember the iconic Gibson Les Paul guitars which soared to prominence in the mid 1950s. This story concerns the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, who in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, have seized a shipment of over 3,000 fake Gibson electric guitars at the Port of Los Angeles on the 4th December 2024.
The shipment, in-bound from Asia, was flagged during routine inspections of cargo containers at the busy port. The fake guitars, valued at a whopping $18.7 million if they had been genuine, were bound for online markets. Authorities say the guitars were made to resemble popular Gibson models, including the iconic Les Paul, but were found to be poorly constructed with inferior-quality materials.
Cruise ship passengers on hunger strike!
Is it me or are the general public much more likely to take direct action these days to vent their frustration and anger when something goes wrong? I believe that is often the case.
So perhaps one can understand the actions taken by some of the passengers onboard the Swan Hellenic vessel bound for the holiday of a lifetime to the Antarctic in December 2024 – only it seems they never got to their intended destination. The reason given according to the Swan Hellenic CEO, Andrea Zito, was that during the cruise there was an unexpected malfunction in one of the ship’s two propulsion electric motors. As a result of this technical issue, the captain changed the planned route on day 14 of the 21-day cruise.
“The 3.5 planned days in the Antarctic Peninsula had to be curtailed for safety reasons and the ship set a direct course for the next accessible port – Ushuaia, where it will dock where a team of maker technicians will board with tools and spares in order to rectify the damage in time for the next planned cruise,” said Zito.
Understandably, this news was not met well by all those onboard the ship. Some of the passengers went on hunger strike once they discovered the trip was not proceeding as expected, or advertised, and they would not be making it to their Antarctic destination. Now according to the report, compensation was offered by Swan Hellenic, but one passenger said only to the tune of 50%. There was also a mention of a future cruise at a heavily discounted rate. Apart from going on hunger strike, some passengers were reportedly also sleeping in the lobby, demanding a full refund.
For me, this all falls into the realms of crisis management and facing a demanding public who clearly wanted more. I don’t know the end to the story sadly, but if I were in that position, I’d just take the financial hit and offer a 100% refund to a) accept that my company had ruined what was a lifetime’s dream for many onboard, b) to void the possibility of being sued in a court of law at a later date and c) to protect my company from reputational damage.
Boat Building Academy enrols more women than men for first time
The call for more women to enter the marine sector has been blaring out for years. For the first time in its 28-year history, women outnumber men on the UK’s Boat Building Academy (BBA) flagship 40-week course. The current cohort, based in Lyme Regis, Dorset, consists of eight women and seven men, surpassing the previous record of four female students. This milestone follows the launch of the academy’s Diversity and Inclusivity (DEI) strategy, developed in collaboration with Belinda Joslin, founder of Women in Boatbuilding (WIBB). The initiative, introduced just over a year ago, aims to address the gender imbalance in the boatbuilding industry by providing financial and practical support to female students. One component of the strategy is a five-day women’s workshop, which offers an introduction to woodworking skills. The BBA has also introduced a bursary scheme specifically for women, which has made the 40-week programme more accessible. In addition, female students are being mentored by members of WIBB who are already working in the industry.
Seventeen-year-old Sophia Harding from Portsmouth is one of the students benefiting from the bursary. After leaving sixth form to pursue a more hands-on career, she restored an old boat herself and later enrolled at the BBA. “I enjoyed the one-week workshop, but I wasn’t sure if I could fund the 40-week course,” says Harding. “The game-changer was when they announced I had won a 50 per cent bursary. During the summer, I worked for Urban Truant, saved every penny, and secured additional sponsorships. The hard work paid off and I’m absolutely loving it.”
The group has begun developing foundational skills and will soon progress to building four wooden boats from scratch, to be launched in Lyme Regis harbour next June.
BBA director Will Reed echoes this sentiment: “It’s deeply encouraging to see so many talented women on the course. We have an exciting strategy to further promote diversity and inclusion in the industry.”
The BBA has a special place in the hearts of IIMS. It is where we hold our practical boat building and practical surveyor course each year. I was delighted to read this story and say well done to Will and his team at BBA.
Marina Port Valencia leads relief efforts after Valencia flooding
Marina Port Valencia, a superyacht marina, has launched a response to the flooding in Valencia. You may well recall the devastating floods that hit the Spanish city of Valencia in December 2024. The images and footage we saw of floodwater cascading through the city were truly shocking. This is a heart warming story about the efforts of the Marina Port Valencia, a superyacht marina, in the immediate aftermath of the natural disaster to help the city’s citizens. Marina Port Valencia mobilised staff and equipment, including bilge pumps, to aid in emergency operations in Benetússer and Massanassa, two towns heavily impacted by the floods. Teams worked tirelessly, draining water from submerged garages, school buildings, and local streets.
The marina’s relief efforts extended way beyond physical assistance on the ground. To support those left with limited resources, they initiated a donation drive for food and clothing at its offices. Essential items being collected included blankets, warm clothing, hygiene products, cleaning supplies, and non-perishable foods, as many homes remained without electricity or functioning kitchens.
This community-driven campaign has quickly gained support from other facilities in the IPM Group, including Varadero Valencia, Monzó Yacht Painting, and marinas and refit yards in Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, and Tarragona. Within days, additional organisations, including Valencia Mar and the yacht clubs of Calpe, Jávea, Benidorm, and Villajoyosa, joined forces with IPM volunteers to bolster relief efforts.
According to Marina Port Valencia’s director, Santiago Donat, the scale of the disaster compelled the marina to take swift action. “Your soul breaks when you see a catastrophe of this size, and the only thing you can do is help the survivors,” Donat said. “We want to show our solidarity and support at these delicate moments, and we’ll do anything that can help—whether it’s cleaning up a road, draining water from a garage, or providing food and water to citizens who haven’t eaten or drunk for days.”
I have no words other than to declare my admiration for the exceptional team at Marina Port Valencia.
The great mandatory lifejacket debate is on
The battle lines have been drawn up as both Canada and the state of Queensland in Australia put the mandatory use of lifejackets under the microscope. I have no doubt this is a hotly contested debate in recreational boating circles.
Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) is urging boaters to wear their lifejackets more often and indeed from 1 December 2024, lifejackets became mandatory in high-risk situations.
According to MSQ, high-risk situations are described as:
– Crossing coastal bars on specific vessels;
– Boating alone or at night;
– For all children on open vessels under 4.8 metres in length;
– For children aged one year but less than 12 years in an open boat or an open area of a boat of any length while underway.
Introduced after extensive consultation, these laws will apply throughout the state, I am informed. In the past five years, there have been 64 boating fatalities in Queensland, with only five of those individuals known to have been wearing a lifejacket at the time of the incident.
Things in Canada are somewhat further behind the curve with their consultation only having closed in early November last year. Transport Canada was seeking feedback on the mandatory use of PFDs/lifejackets for individuals on board recreational vessels.
Canada averages 111 recreational boating deaths each year. Not using a personal flotation device (PFD) or lifejacket is a leading cause of death among recreational boaters, accounting for 89% of all fatalities.
– Most people who died due to a recreational boating-related incident weren’t wearing a PFD or lifejacket;
– Most of the people who died were adults;
– Most recreational boating-related deaths involved powerboats, followed by canoes;
– The most common incident that led to a death was a capsized vessel, followed by a person falling or being thrown overboard.
I am not sure when the results of the Canadian public consultation are due, but I, for one, will be watching closely. Will other countries follow suit I wonder? What do you think? I’d welcome your views by email at info@iims.org.uk.
See you next month.
Mike Schwarz
