On 8 December 2025, the second edition of the European Maritime Safety Report – #EMSAFE was presented in EMSA’s: ‘Safety First’ conference at the Agency’s headquarters in Lisbon. EMSAFE 2 consolidates data from all EMSA-hosted databases, offering a comprehensive overview of the state of maritime safety in the European Union. Its strong focus on the human dimension of safety makes it particularly relevant.
Fishing vessels: more safety oversight needed
The report highlights critical issues related to seafarers’ healthcare, safety protection, and accident prevention. Approximately 25% of deficiencies identified during Port State Control inspections are linked to human factors, with the majority falling under Title 4 of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).
EMSAFE also provides an in-depth analysis of fishing vessel safety performance within the EU maritime safety framework, covering accident statistics, vulnerability assessments, and trends from 2019 to 2023.
Notably, fishing vessels account for a disproportionate share of reported accidents and losses relative to their fleet size, underlining their heightened vulnerability compared to other ship types.
In this context, the ETF strongly supports the inclusion of fishing vessels in the Equasis project as a means to enhance transparency and safety oversight and stands ready to provide further justification and support.
Highlights from the report
🔵More than 14,000 vessel inspections carried out each year in EU ports
🔵16 % reduction in marine accidents recorded since 2019
🔵The average age of passenger ships flagged to EU Member States was 29 years in 2023, up from 28 years in 2019
🔵Fishing vessels account for 17 % of the total number of accidents recorded each year under applicable EU legislation, and 60 % of the total number of vessels lost
Workers must feel safe
During the conference panel on Human-Centred Safety Culture, ETF General Secretary Livia Spera delivered a clear message:
“Let’s talk about people — about workers — not the impersonal ‘human element’. There is a proven link between working conditions and safety.”
She highlighted persistent structural challenges faced by seafarers, including long working hours, confinement, commercial pressure, inadequate resources, and the widespread falsification or adjustment of work-time records, as confirmed by the World Maritime University. She stressed the need to move beyond a blame-oriented approach and to advance towards a genuine Just Culture, where workers can report concerns without fear and where learning replaces punishment. A truly human-centred safety culture, she underlined, cannot exist where workers feel unsafe or silenced.
EMSAFE 2 is available in 24 EU languages.
Download a summary of the European Maritime Transport report here.
The full report is available here.
