open access
Causes and circumstances of maritime casualties and crew fatalities in British merchant shipping since 1925
Affiliations- Medical School, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom
- Department of Occupational Medicine, Norwegian Centre for Maritime and Diving Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
open access
Abstract
Background: To determine the causes and circumstances of vessel accidents that led to fatalities in British
merchant shipping since 1925, and among British seafarers who were employed in non-United Kingdom
shipping since 1985. Secondly, to establish trends in vessel accidents and crew fatalities, and associations
with type of casualty and location, type of ship, cargo carried and season.
Materials and methods: Reviews of annual mortality returns, marine accident investigation reports, death
inquiry files, Lloyd’s casualty returns, online newspapers, shipwreck websites and other searches over the
period from 1925 to 2017 but excluding 1939 to 1946.
Results: The study identified 362 ship accidents in British shipping that led to 2760 crew and 605 passenger
fatalities. There have been large reductions in both ship casualty and crew fatality rates, which have
been greatest for vessels that were stranded, wrecked or foundered, particularly small coastal trading
cargo ships. Reductions since the 1980s have coincided with proportionate increases in ship accidents
and consequential crew fatalities among British seafarers employed in ‘open register’ shipping. Strong
seasonal and geographical patterns show that most fatalities through foundering or wrecking occurred
during winter months around Europe.
Conclusions: Reductions in ship accidents and crew fatalities reflect major developments and improvements
in ship navigational aids, improvements in rescue services and ship designs, and reductions in the
volume of small coastal trading ships. Some disasters in ‘open registry’ shipping occurred in controversial
circumstances, suggesting that substandard shipping has been flagged out or that lower cost but less
competent crews have been employed.
Abstract
Background: To determine the causes and circumstances of vessel accidents that led to fatalities in British
merchant shipping since 1925, and among British seafarers who were employed in non-United Kingdom
shipping since 1985. Secondly, to establish trends in vessel accidents and crew fatalities, and associations
with type of casualty and location, type of ship, cargo carried and season.
Materials and methods: Reviews of annual mortality returns, marine accident investigation reports, death
inquiry files, Lloyd’s casualty returns, online newspapers, shipwreck websites and other searches over the
period from 1925 to 2017 but excluding 1939 to 1946.
Results: The study identified 362 ship accidents in British shipping that led to 2760 crew and 605 passenger
fatalities. There have been large reductions in both ship casualty and crew fatality rates, which have
been greatest for vessels that were stranded, wrecked or foundered, particularly small coastal trading
cargo ships. Reductions since the 1980s have coincided with proportionate increases in ship accidents
and consequential crew fatalities among British seafarers employed in ‘open register’ shipping. Strong
seasonal and geographical patterns show that most fatalities through foundering or wrecking occurred
during winter months around Europe.
Conclusions: Reductions in ship accidents and crew fatalities reflect major developments and improvements
in ship navigational aids, improvements in rescue services and ship designs, and reductions in the
volume of small coastal trading ships. Some disasters in ‘open registry’ shipping occurred in controversial
circumstances, suggesting that substandard shipping has been flagged out or that lower cost but less
competent crews have been employed.
Keywords
maritime casualties, fatalities, seafarers, British shipping
About this articleTitle
Causes and circumstances of maritime casualties and crew fatalities in British merchant shipping since 1925
Journal
Issue
Article type
Original article
Pages
99-109
Published online
2018-06-22
Page views
1545
Article views/downloads
2151
DOI
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
IMH 2018;69(2):99-109.
Keywords
maritime casualties
fatalities
seafarers
British shipping
Authors
Stephen E. Roberts
Tim Carter
References (29)- Royal Commission on Loss of Life at Sea. First report of the Royal Commission on Loss of Life at Sea with minutes of evidence. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. 1885.
- Home WE. Mortality of british merchant seamen. Lancet. 1934; 223(5777): 1081–1083.
- Otterland AA. sociomedical study of the mortality in merchant seafarers. Gotebörg: Scandinavian University Books. 1960.
- Lloyd’s Register of Shipping. Casualty returns, 1963-2010. London: Lloyd’s Register of Shipping. 1964-2011.
- Lloyd’s Register of Shipping. World Fleet Statistics, 1963-2010. London: Lloyd’s Register of Shipping. 1964-2011.
- Board of Trade. Return of shipping casualties and deaths. Vessels registered in the United Kingdom [annual returns for 1925-38]. London: HMSO. 1926-1939.
- Ministry of Transport. Return of shipping casualties and deaths: vessels registered in the United Kingdom. [annual returns for 1948-63 with summary tables for the years 1939-47]. London: HMSO. 1949-1964.
- Board of Trade. Shipping casualties and deaths. Vessels registered in the United Kingdom [annual returns for 1964-68]. London: HMSO. 1965-1969.
- Department of Trade and Industry/Department of Industry/Department of Trade/Department of Transport. Shipping casualties and deaths. Vessels registered in the United Kingdom [annual returns for 1969-88]. London: HMSO. 1970-1989.
- Marine Accident Investigation Branch. Annual reports, 1989-2017. Southampton: Marine Accident Investigation Branch. 1990-2018.
- Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Crewing estimates based on Maritime and Coastguard Agency survey data. (information provided on request).
- Lloyd’s Register of Shipping. Casualty data, 1980-2005 (casualty data provided by Lloyd's.
- Hooke, N. Maritime Casualties 1963-1996. London: Lloyd's Maritime Information Services. 1997.
- Wrecksite EU. www.wrecksite.eu.
- British Newspapers Archive. www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.
- Department of Transport. MV Herald of Free Enterprise: Report of Court No. 8074. London: HMSO. 1987.
- Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. M.V. Derbyshire Surveys: UK/EC Assessors' Report. London: Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. 1998.
- Hansard. House of Commons Debates 28th June 1973 vol 858 cc405-7W . http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1973/jun/28/royston-grange.
- Hansard. House of Commons Debates 27th March 1990 vol 170 cc460-8 . www:hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1990/mar/27/m-v-marine.
- Marine Accident Investigation Branch. Flooding and sinking of dry cargo vessel Rema with loss of 4 lives. Southampton: Marine Accident Investigation Branch. 2000.
- Roberts SE. Work-related mortality among British seafarers employed in flags of convenience shipping, 1976-95. Int Marit Health. 2003; 54(1-4): 7–25.
- International Association of Classification Societies. Guidance and Information on Bulk Cargo Loading and Discharging to Reduce the Likelihood of Over-stressing the Hull Structure. London: International Association of Classification Societies. 1997.
- Bureau of Transport and Communications Economics, Structural failure of large bulk ships, Report 85. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. 1994.
- International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (INTERCARGO). Benchmarking Bulk Carriers. London: International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners. 2011.
- West of England P & I. Loss Prevention Bulletin: The Risk of Tugs Capsizing due to Girting. www.westpandi.com/globalassets/loss-prevention/loss-prevention-bulletins/west-of-england-pandi---the-risk-of-tugs-capsizing-due-to-girting.pdf.
- Landsea CW. Climate Variability of Tropical Cyclones: Past, Present and Future. In: Storms (volume 1). New York: Routledge. 2000.
- Hargreaves ER. Safety of navigation in the English Channel. J Navigation. 1973; 4: 399–407.
- Dare SC, Lewison G. The recent casualty record in the dover strait. J Navigation. 2009; 33(02): 192–205.
- Squire D. The Hazards of Navigating The Dover Strait (Pas-de-Calais) Traffic Separation Scheme. J Navigation. 2003; 56(2): 195–210.
