The Marine Incident Annual Report 2025 provides an analysis of marine incidents reported across domestic commercial vessels (DCVs), foreign-flagged vessels (FFVs) and regulated Australian vessels (RAVs) operating in Australian waters during the 2025 calendar year, along with trends over the past five years.
The report analyses 4,174 marine incidents reported in the year, providing a whole-of-fleet view of where safety risks are emerging and how they are changing over time to inform safer operations.
What the Marine Incident Annual Report shows
Marine incident reporting in 2025 varied across vessel types and industry sectors. Passenger vessels accounted for 46% of reported DCV marine incidents, despite representing only 9% of the fleet. Larger vessels (12 metres and over) were also overrepresented, making up 67% of reported incidents while comprising 21% of the DCV fleet.
Across all vessel types, contact, collisions, groundings and power, propulsion and system failures remain the most common marine incident types. These are often linked to operational and technical factors, including poor lookout and main engine or gearing failures, highlighting where routine practices and system reliability influence safety outcomes.
The impact on people
Behind every marine incident is the potential for harm.
In 2025, DCV marine incidents resulted in 4 fatalities, 228 injuries (including 44 serious injuries) and 92 person overboard incidents. That’s a 19% increase in person overboard incidents compared to 2024.
Across RAVs and FFVs, a further 206 injuries were reported, the majority involving crew.
The most serious injuries were linked to operational activities, particularly navigation on DCVs, and maintenance, operational access and cargo handling on RAVs and FFVs.
These outcomes highlight the real-world consequences of breakdowns in safety controls, especially during everyday tasks where risks can be underestimated.
Why reporting matters
Marine incident reporting helps identify recurring issues, track emerging risks and support more informed action across the maritime sector.
These insights help target compliance and education activities where they will have the greatest impact on safety outcomes.
By understanding what is driving marine incidents, vessel owners, operators and crew can take practical steps to strengthen safety on board.
Click here to read the full report
