A survey covering 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 enclosed space deaths.
What Happened
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.
The 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.
InterManager's secretary general said the industry does not need more paperwork for the sake of paperwork, but practical measures that work onboard. If a procedure cannot realistically be completed with the available time, people and equipment, the system should be questioned rather than the seafarer blamed, he added.
Background
Despite decades of safety campaigns, training requirements and regulatory attention, many of the same problems continue to put seafarers at risk. The International Maritime Organization adopted revised recommendations for entering enclosed spaces in June 2025, 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.
InterManager also criticized poor accident reporting and limited information sharing across the industry, warning that delayed or incomplete investigations make it harder for operators to learn from previous incidents.
Impact on Shippers
Enclosed space safety primarily concerns vessel operations and has limited direct impact on cross-border sellers. However, accidents can lead to vessel delays, schedule adjustments or temporary ship substitutions, affecting first-mile transit times for ocean parcel and ocean truck delivery services on the US route. If accidents trigger stricter port state inspections, some vessels may be detained, further tightening capacity and adding uncertainty to transit times.
On the cost side, higher safety compliance requirements may raise shipowners' operating costs and potentially feed into freight rates over the long term, though the short-term impact on shippers is not significant. Customs clearance is not directly affected, but schedule delays may change arrival times, requiring shippers to monitor updates to bills of lading and arrival notices.
Recommendations
Shippers arranging US-bound cargo should pay attention to the operational records and schedule reliability of carriers, build buffer time into transit plans, maintain communication with freight forwarders for timely schedule updates, and consider diversifying sailing dates or using alternative channels for time-sensitive goods to reduce the risk of single-vessel delays.