MAIB Publishes Annual Report 2025

The Annual Report includes statistics on accidents to UK ships and seafarers worldwide, and to foreign flag vessels and their crews in UK waters. It also contains an overview of the work of the MAIB, details of reports published and contains analysis of the safety recommendations issued during the year and the status of outstanding recommendations from previous years.

During 2025, the MAIB:

• Raised 1585 reports of marine accidents involving 1737 vessels
• Commenced 16 investigations, of which 7 involved loss of life.
• 17 reports were published. This led to 50 recommendations to 26 distinct addressees, with an acceptance rate of 90%.

Maritime accident data for occurrences reported to MAIB from 2020 up until 14 May 2026 is available via the MAIB data portal which can be found here.

A statement from Rob Loder, Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents can be found at the start of the report. His introduction encourages more reporting of less serious marine incidents:

Rob said: “The reporting of marine casualties and incidents continues to increase year-on-year, although the growth of the reporting rate has slowed. The MAIB is aware that there can be a culture of under-reporting less serious marine incidents and near misses. I wish to issue a rallying call to all in the marine sector to contribute to future marine safety by reporting unsafe occurrences that they have encountered during marine operations. Data on seemingly inconsequential events can inform the bigger picture of risk and can literally provide the opportunity to save lives. A seafarer need not lose their life or a ship be lost to improve marine safety!”

In the introduction he also addresses specific safety issues relevant to merchant vessels and fishing vessels. These comments can be found on page 2 of the Annual Report.