The 2025 Future of Maritime Safety Report from Inmarsat Maritime highlights the persistent high rate of distress calls at sea, emphasizing the critical importance of human factors in maritime safety. The report notes an increase in Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) calls on the Inmarsat network, rising from 788 in 2023 to 801 in 2024, consistent with the annual average of approximately 800 calls from 2018 to 2023.
The report outlines a challenging year for international shipping, marked by geopolitical tensions, severe weather, piracy, and cyber threats, all of which exert pressure on operators and crews. Additionally, seafarers are grappling with welfare issues stemming from the rapid adoption of new technologies. While digitalization and decarbonization are vital for the industry’s future, the swift implementation of new systems has led to an overwhelming amount of information for crews.
In response, the report advocates for prioritizing seafarer welfare to reduce preventable incidents at sea. It calls for a ‘human factors’ approach to data management that streamlines information, minimizes redundancy, and clarifies outputs, ultimately supporting crew welfare rather than complicating it.
