InterManager has urged urgent industry action after fresh research exposed continuing failings in the protection of seafarers working in enclosed spaces. The organisation’s analysis, reported on 19 October 2026, underlines shortcomings in procedures, training, leadership and accident prevention across ship types over a 30-year period.
The research records 354 enclosed space accidents that occurred between 1996 and 2026. Those incidents were logged across a broad range of vessels, including tankers, bulk carriers, general cargo ships, passenger vessels and containerships, as well as other vessel types.
InterManager said its findings point to persistent weaknesses rather than a short-term spike, with failures clustered around procedural compliance, the quality and adequacy of training, on-board leadership and systemic prevention measures. The organisation therefore called on the shipping industry to treat enclosed-space risk as an urgent, cross-cutting priority.
The scale of the dataset, 354 accidents over three decades, frames the issue as enduring rather than episodic. InterManager’s work, as reported, links those accidents to repeated lapses in basic safety systems rather than to isolated technical faults.
Scope and vessel types
The accidents detailed in the research span many vessel categories, indicating that enclosed-space risk is not confined to one trade or ship design. The study specifically lists tankers, bulkers, general cargo ships, passenger vessels and containerships among the types affected.
A concise summary of the vessel categories identified in the research:
- Tankers
- Bulk carriers
- General cargo ships
- Passenger vessels
- Containerships
- Other vessel types
Failures identified
InterManager highlights four principal areas of failure: procedures, training, leadership and accident prevention. Each area is presented as a recurring contributor to incidents, suggesting that fixes must go beyond technical checks to address human and organisational factors.
The organisation’s characterisation implies that procedural gaps can coexist with inadequate training and unclear or ineffective leadership. Where such conditions persist, the risk of enclosed-space incidents rises despite advances in other areas of maritime safety.
InterManager’s appeal to the industry places emphasis on prevention rather than after-the-event response. The research, as summarised by reports, frames prevention as requiring sustained attention to routine safety fundamentals as well as to more visible regulatory and technological interventions.
The report’s publication on 19 October 2026 reinforces a wider debate within the sector about how best to allocate resources and responsibility for on-board safety culture. InterManager’s call for urgent action is intended to prompt shipping companies, managers and regulators to reassess how enclosed-space tasks are planned, authorised and supervised.
Industry bodies, ship operators and training providers are likely to face renewed scrutiny over whether current measures sufficiently address the kinds of recurring failures the research describes. InterManager’s presentation suggests that strengthening leadership, improving the quality and relevance of training, and ensuring clear, routinely practised procedures are central to reducing future incidents.
The research offers a clear caution: despite decades of attention to maritime safety, enclosed-space accidents remain a measurable and persistent hazard. InterManager’s appeal is for coordinated, practical measures aimed at the four fault lines it identifies, and for the industry to recognise the problem as an enduring one that demands immediate and sustained action.
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