InterManager: Enclosed space deaths demand urgent industry action

October 21 ------ InterManager has called for urgent action to prevent enclosed space deaths onboard ships, warning that persistent shortcomings in safety procedures, training, leadership and accident prevention continue to put seafarers at risk.

According to its latest research, InterManager has recorded 354 enclosed space accidents between 1996 and 2026, involving tankers, bulk carriers, general cargo ships, passenger vessels, containerships and other vessel types. A recent survey of more than 900 seafarers identified a persistent gap between established safety procedures and operational realities onboard.

Respondents highlighted overly complex paperwork, inadequate time and manpower, commercial pressures, insufficient practical training and a reluctance to address the underlying causes of accidents. The findings also raised concerns that inspections often prioritize procedural compliance rather than assessing whether safety measures are effective in practice.

Captain Kuba Szymanski, Secretary General of InterManager, warned that enclosed spaces have been claiming seafarers’ lives for decades, stressing that the industry needs practical safety measures rather than additional paperwork. "If a procedure cannot realistically be completed with the time, people and equipment available, then we need to question the system, not blame the seafarer," said Szymanski.

Training, technology and ship design

InterManager stressed that enclosed space safety training must move beyond one-off exercises towards continuous professional development and demonstrated competence. It called for regular drills, refresher training, effective gas detection and robust rescue arrangements that reflect actual onboard conditions.

The organization also identified opportunities to improve safety through real-time gas sensors, wearable technology, digital permits, hands-free communications and unmanned inspection tools, helping to reduce the need for personnel to enter hazardous spaces. Furthermore, InterManager urged greater consideration of enclosed space risks during ship design, including improved equipment positioning, better coatings and more durable pipework to minimize the need for entry.

The organization also criticized inadequate industry data sharing and inconsistencies in accident investigations, warning that delayed, incomplete or withheld information prevents lessons from being effectively shared across the maritime sector.

InterManager stressed that seafarers should be more directly involved in developing the safety systems, ship designs and operational arrangements they are expected to follow.

Commenting on the continued occurrence of enclosed space accidents, Captain Szymanski stressed that many of the contributing factors are already known, but consistent preventive action remains lacking. "The priority now must be simpler procedures, better training, stronger leadership, improved ship design and far greater sharing of accident data."

He concluded by emphasizing that enclosed space fatalities can be prevented, "Enclosed space deaths are not inevitable. The industry has the knowledge to prevent them so why isn’t it doing it already?"

Source: safety4sea.com