After 354 Accidents, Shipping Industry Urged to Rethink Enclosed Space Safety

A new survey of more than 900 seafarers has exposed a persistent gap between safety procedures and the realities of working aboard ships, prompting renewed calls for action to prevent deaths in enclosed spaces.

Ship management association InterManager says it has recorded 354 enclosed space accidents between 1996 and 2026, involving tankers, bulk carriers, containerships, passenger vessels and other ship types.

Despite decades of safety campaigns, training requirements and regulatory attention, the association says many of the same problems continue to put seafarers at risk.

The latest survey found that crews often struggle with overly complicated procedures, insufficient time and manpower, commercial pressure and inadequate practical training. Respondents also raised concerns that inspections sometimes place more emphasis on paperwork than whether safety measures actually work onboard.

“Enclosed spaces have been killing seafarers for decades,” said Captain Kuba Szymanski, InterManager’s secretary general. “The industry does not need more paperwork for the sake of paperwork, it needs practical measures that work onboard.”

“If a procedure cannot realistically be completed with the time, people and equipment available, then we need to question the system, not blame the seafarer.”

InterManager says the findings point to a need for regular, practical training rather than relying on exercises completed early in a seafarer’s career. Crews should also have a greater say in developing the procedures and systems they are expected to follow.

The association is calling for more frequent drills, refresher training, reliable gas detection equipment and effective rescue arrangements. It also sees opportunities to reduce risks through wearable gas monitors, digital entry permits, hands-free communications and remotely operated inspection equipment.

Ship design is another concern. InterManager says better equipment placement, improved coatings and more durable piping could reduce the need for crews to enter potentially dangerous spaces in the first place.

The findings come as the International Maritime Organization works to strengthen seafarer safety standards. In June 2025, the IMO adopted revised recommendations for entering enclosed spaces, addressing hazard identification, risk assessments and safe entry procedures. The organization is also conducting a broader review of the STCW Convention, with enclosed space training among the issues under consideration.

International Maritime Organization
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InterManager also criticized poor accident reporting and limited information sharing across the industry. The association warned that delayed or incomplete investigations make it harder for operators to learn from previous incidents and prevent similar accidents.

“We already know many of the factors behind these accidents. What is missing is consistent action,” Szymanski said. “The priority now must be simpler procedures, better training, stronger leadership, improved ship design and far greater sharing of accident data.”

InterManager will discuss the survey findings during a joint webinar with The Nautical Institute on October 27, bringing together maritime safety and human factors experts to examine what needs to change onboard and ashore.

“Enclosed space deaths are not inevitable,” Szymanski said. “The industry has the knowledge to prevent them so why isn’t it doing it already?”