Safety of Finnish merchant shipping still at a good level

Despite a slight increase, the number of merchant shipping accidents remained at an average level. Over the last ten years, the number of merchant shipping accidents occurring in Finnish waters has varied from 25 to 41 per year. The most common types of accidents are grounding and stranding accidents and collision and contact accidents. 

“Overall, the level of safety of Finnish merchant shipping remains stable and good. The safety level should be fostered and improved even further, as shipping is vital for Finland. At Traficom, we promote maritime safety especially through supervision and by participating in international advocacy and legislative work. Now that Finland is a member of the International Maritime Organization’s Council, we are better equipped to influence regulations relevant to Finland from the perspective of safety as well,” says Director-General Jarkko Saarimäki.

During 2023, Traficom was informed of 32 accidents involving Finnish vessels. Of these accidents, 25 occurred in Finnish waters and seven occurred while the vessel was abroad. In 2022, Finnish vessels were involved in a total of 27 accidents.

During 2023, Finnish vessels were also involved in nine marine incidents, of which seven occurred in Finnish waters and two occurred while the vessel was abroad. In 2022, the number of incidents involving Finnish vessels was ten, of which eight occurred in Finnish waters and two occurred abroad.

It is important to report accidents and incidents

The consequences of the merchant shipping accidents that occurred in 2023 were minor. They did not cause any significant negative impacts on the environment, nor result in any loss of life or serious injuries. 

The safety of Finnish merchant shipping is monitored and reported on annually by Traficom. The Finnish Maritime Act has long obliged operators to report all merchant shipping accidents to the relevant national authority (Traficom), but a similar obligation concerning incidents has only been in effect since 2017. 

A low threshold for reporting accidents and incidents provides authorities with a comprehensive overall picture of maritime safety, which helps to effectively reduce the risk of accidents. Accident and incident reports also help identify challenging parts of fairways so that they can be taken into account in future planning.

“We want to emphasise to seafarers that reporting accidents and incidents is both important and beneficial. Reports help improve safety and prevent accidents, thus also reducing the costs of accidents and incidents to affected parties and society,” reminds Specialist Esa Pasanen.

During 2017–2023, Traficom received a total of 142 incident reports. This figure includes incidents involving Finnish and foreign vessels in Finnish waters and incidents involving Finnish vessels abroad.