The 2025 European Maritime Safety Report

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The European Maritime Safety Report (EMSAFE) provides a factual analysis of the maritime safety landscape in the European Union (EU) as well as an in-depth analysis of specific technical areas. The report is based on data collected from several internal and industry databases and was further enhanced through consultation with stakeholders.

This second edition of EMSAFE, issued three years after the first one, focuses on current issues that impact shipping and safety, provides for a comparison with the last report information on the evolution of the fleets’ characteristics and safety performance over a similar length period of five years, and identifies the challenges ahead.

This second edition covers the period from 2019 to 2023 and depicts the far-reaching impacts of recent global events on the maritime sector. The impact of, and recovery from, the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic and logistical impacts of Brexit, and the cascading effects of global conflicts have significantly influenced maritime traffic.

Within this context, the report highlights how the maritime community strives to maintain safety levels while adapting to an evolving regulatory landscape and addressing additional challenges such as the ageing of the fleet, digitalisation, decarbonisation and the need to retain and attract a qualified workforce.