A report from Inmarsat analyzing data from Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) calls made from 2018 to 2021 has found that there was an abrupt spike in GMDSS calls in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. It said that this was likely to have been caused by “issues with crew change, rapid turnaround in ports and fatigue on board.”
Peter Broadhurst, senior vice president of safety and security at Inmarsat Maritime, said that the report (The Future of Maritime Safety, link below) provided insights into safety trends that reveal patterns at a local and global level. “Better understanding these patterns can help us to take proactive steps to prevent such incidents going forward and help guide us to a safer future,” he said.
He noted that the Inmarsat GMDSS data showed that the top three sectors with the highest distress calls were tankers, fishing vessels and bulk carriers. The lowest proportion was from passenger ships. “This data should help us focus our attention and tackle known safety issues in these sectors”, Broadhurst said.
