MAIB report flags concerns over ‘human watchkeepers’ in maritime industry

In total, there were 1,631 accidents involving 1,753 vessels reported to the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) during 2024, according to its most recent annual report – an increase on the 1,592 incidents reported in 2023.

Of these, 1,510 recorded notifications fell within the scope of the Merchant Shipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 2012.

Five other incidents fell within the scope of the Red Ensign Group memorandum of understanding (MOU) – an agreement signed between MAIB and the Red Ensign Group in 2020 that allows the MAIB to investigate accidents involving Category 1 registries in Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man. A further 116 accidents reported last year did not fall under the scope of either the 2012 regulations or the MOU and were not included in the report’s final statistical breakdown.

There were also 74 safety recommendations issued by the MAIB in 2024 with the aim of improving the safety of life at sea and avoiding future accidents.

The MAIB report highlights several ongoing safety issues that contributed to accidents involving UK vessels worldwide or other vessels within UK coastal waters in 2024.

Firstly, collisions and groundings of merchant vessels showed no sign of reducing. The occurrence of several tragic collisions in 2024 cast a spotlight on the particular role played by human watchkeepers and questioned whether their role would be better served by advancing technologies. As the report notes, these questions continue to be raised in 2025 following the collision of the Solong cargo ship into the anchored oil tanker Stena Immaculate in March.

The MAIB says the occurrence of such incidents “indicate a need to radically rethink the role of human watchkeepers in the digital age. “Humans do not make good monitors and if under-stimulated they will find other things to occupy themselves,” said Natalie Walker, a litigation and regulatory specialist at Pinsent Masons. Although humans may be reluctant to rely solely on technology to carry out this important role, MAIB says it will explore this issue further in future investigations.  

The MAIB conducted three investigations and one preliminary assessment into UK fishing vessels either flooding or foundering last year, revealing just how vulnerable fishing vessels are to water ingress. It stressed the importance of crews being well versed in abandonment drills and practices and raising the alarm early.

As in 2020, two fishing vessel crew died as a result of marine accidents in 2024 – the lowest recorded level of fatalities over the past decade. However, both deaths took place on well-crewed vessels as a result of “unsafe systems of work”, in a stark reminder of the need for crews to remain vigilant and adopt a “proactive management of risk” at all times. In one of the incidents, a deckhand became attached to the backrope and was pulled overboard while manually toggling on creels.

Commenting on the report’s findings, Walker said: “This report highlights some of the key areas where improvements in safety are needed within the maritime industry. It is crucial that vessel owners and operators make sure that their policies and procedures in these areas sufficiently deal with the risks identified in the MAIB report and that they are fully implemented.”

“The issue of ‘human watchkeeping’ errors is, in particular, an issue that I think will be a real focal point for regulators in the UK going forward. This is also an issue that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has identified and which was the main driver behind them issuing a safety notice on the risks of attendant vessels colliding with offshore installations,” she said.