"60% of Maritime Accident Casualties Are Due to Safety-Related Incidents"

Over the past five years, 60% of casualties-including deaths and missing persons-in maritime accidents have been found to result from safety-related incidents. This highlights the need for systematic safety management.

The Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority (KOMSA) announced on April 30 that out of a total of 614 casualties (deaths and missing persons) resulting from maritime accidents between 2021 and 2025, 59.8% (367 individuals) were attributed to safety-related incidents.

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For general vessels, 74 out of 114 casualties (64.9%) were due to safety-related incidents, while for fishing vessels, 284 out of 478 casualties (59.4%) were for the same reason. By type of safety-related incident, the most common cause for general vessels was falling overboard (unwitnessed, slips, waves, etc.), accounting for 33 cases (44.6%), followed by accidents occurring during onboard work, such as suffocation from toxic gases, at 25 cases (33.8%).

Similarly, for fishing vessels, falling overboard was the most significant cause, accounting for 178 cases (62.7%). This was followed by accidents during fishing operations, such as working with net haulers, which accounted for 89 cases (31.3%).

Reflecting these accident characteristics, KOMSA analyzed the decisions of the Central Maritime Safety Tribunal over the past 10 years (2016-2025) and identified 11 major types of safety-related incidents. Based on this, the authority has produced a manual containing realistic accident scenarios and site-specific preventive guidelines.

KOMSA will first release the manual on its official website and subsequently distribute physical copies to the field in stages. In addition, the manual will be provided in four languages (English, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Chinese) for foreign crew members.

Junseok Kim, President of KOMSA, stated, "Since a significant portion of casualties in maritime accidents result from safety-related incidents, systematic safety management and field-oriented responses are crucial," adding, "We will work to reduce casualties from maritime accidents through effective preventive measures."

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