Tiredness Kills
Detailed analysis of the IMO’s GISIS Casualty Database
31.5% of vessel grounding investigations cite seafarer fatigue as a contributing factor. This statistic is based on detailed analysis of the IMO’s GISIS Casualty Database, in which 186 separate reports, out of 590 reported groundings, specify fatigue as an issue.
For the UK alone, 33.9% of vessel groundings investigated by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch between 2010 and 2025 cite fatigue as contributing factor.
Seafarer tiredness and fatigue is often caused by long hours of work which are then not recuperated through adequate quality periods of rest. At the International Maritime Organization the delegation of The Nautical Institute is contributing to a study that is trying to understand the underlying factors driving seafarer fatigue, the consequences, and what can be done to address the issues.
Working with Strathclyde University, our Institute commissioned a study into the tangible effects of seafarer fatigue. Utilising a large language model to ingest and assess thousands of formal accident investigation reports, as well as our own MARS database, we have reported the findings to the IMO. These include:
- 37 of 351 onboard fires, explosions, and occupational accidents (10.5%), record fatigue as an issue.
- 62 out of 244 collisions (25.4%) record fatigue as a notable aspect of the investigation.
- 20.0% of Japanese marine investigation reports (by JTSB) record fatigue. For Transport Canada, the fatigue recording rate is 19.2%. In Panama, the rate is 23.3%. The numbers are consistent across jurisdictions.
- Within the UK sub-set, 8 of 47 collision investigations (17.0%) between 2010 and 2025 cite fatigue as a contributory factor.
The SHIELD database used by the researchers has highlighted the prevalence of fatigue as one of the investigative issues in hundreds of marine casualties globally. The Nautical Institute will work tirelessly (pun intended) to address this to the safety benefit of all who work at sea.
Please share your views on seafarer fatigue by emailing imo@nautinst.org. They will all be used to inform our advocacy on this crucial subject.