Australia continues to record high incident rates in maritime safety

Maritime safety in Australian waters remains a serious concern as the country has recorded another year with significantly high incident rates, according to the annual report from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).

In its Annual Report on Maritime Incidents for 2025, AMSA highlights that safety risks in the country's maritime sector remain pertinent, with the number of reported incidents exceeding 4,000 again in 2025. Throughout the year, AMSA received a total of 4,174 reports of maritime incidents from domestic commercial vessels (DCVs), foreign vessels (FFVs), and regulated Australian vessels (RAVs).

Although the number of reported incidents in 2025 significantly decreased compared to 2024, when 5,639 incidents were recorded, this decrease was primarily due to a change in classification introduced on January 1, 2025. Under the revised classification, defect reports for RAVs and FFVs were no longer included in the maritime incident reporting process. This means that a significant number of reports that were previously recorded as maritime incidents were excluded in 2025, including approximately 1,272 defect reports.

In addition to incidents, AMSA also received 452 reports of maritime safety issues, representing a 14.7 percent increase compared to 394 reports in 2024. Throughout the year, there were four fatalities and 434 injuries recorded, with collisions, groundings, and failures of power and system installations remaining among the most common types of incidents.

“Understanding the causes of maritime incidents helps vessel owners, operators, and crews focus on where actions will have the most impact, strengthening onboard procedures, maintaining vessel systems, and managing risks before incidents occur,” AMSA states.

With a coastline stretching over 60,000 kilometers (over 37,000 miles), including 12,000 islands, Australia ranks third in the world for the largest exclusive economic zone. The maritime sector is critical for the country, as over 99 percent of international trade is conducted by sea. The country receives over 29,000 visits per year from international trading vessels, ranks first in the world for bulk commodity exports, and its ports handle over 1.6 billion tons of cargo annually.

At the national level, the Australian domestic commercial fleet consists of approximately 31,000 vessels, including 61 classes of vessels, ranging in size from less than 7.5 meters to over 45 meters.

The fact that Australian waters are among the busiest in terms of maritime activity means that safety risks also remain high, with DCVs being the primary source of reported incidents, with 1,229 reports received in 2025. This represents a four percent increase compared to 1,186 in 2024 and a total increase of 28 percent since 2021, when 962 maritime incidents were recorded. Throughout the year, incidents involving DCVs resulted in four fatalities, 228 injuries (including 44 serious injuries), and 92 instances of people falling overboard.

AMSA data shows that in 2025, a total of 2,697 maritime incidents involving FFVs were recorded, of which 150 were serious and 2,547 were less serious. Most incidents occurred with tankers, which accounted for 60 percent of incidents, followed by container ships at 15 percent and general cargo vessels at 6 percent.

AMSA is intensifying its efforts against substandard and unseaworthy vessels entering the country's waters. These actions are partly based on a notable trend in the causes of maritime incidents. In 2025, failures of power installations and steering systems accounted for the largest share of reported incidents, with 664 cases, making them the predominant technical issue. They were followed by engineering system failures with 492 cases and vessel system failures with 330.

AMSA has become known for its bans on vessels that it considers a risk or that do not comply with regulations.