The 2025 edition of the Future of Maritime Safety Report from Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat company, underscores a stark reality: distress calls at sea remain stubbornly high, and human factors are the linchpin in safe shipping. The numbers don’t lie. In 2024, the Inmarsat network logged 801 Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) calls, a slight uptick from 788 in 2023. While this aligns with the annual average of around 800 calls since 2018, it’s a wake-up call that safety isn’t just about tech—it’s about people.
The maritime industry is navigating a perfect storm of challenges. Geopolitical tensions, conflict, extreme weather, piracy, and cyber threats are piling pressure on operators and crews. But there’s another, less visible crisis brewing: seafarer welfare. The rapid rollout of digital and decarbonisation tech has created an information overload, leaving crews drowning in data rather than empowered by it.
The report doesn’t just highlight the problem—it demands action. It calls for a ‘human factors’ approach to data, streamlining information, cutting duplication, and eliminating contradictory outputs. Peter Broadhurst, Senior Vice President of Safety and Regulatory at Inmarsat Maritime, puts it bluntly: “Accurate data holds immense potential to transform shipping safety—from predictive maintenance to casualty and near-miss reporting and human-factor analysis. But data must empower crews, not overwhelm them. We need smarter systems to capture, evaluate, and utilise data more effectively without placing an extra burden on already overworked seafarers.”
This isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about survival. Overloaded crews make mistakes. Mistakes lead to incidents. And incidents cost lives. The report argues that seafarer welfare isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s fundamental to minimising preventable incidents at sea.
But here’s the kicker: the industry can’t do it alone. Broadhurst stresses the need for greater collaboration, sharing anonymised safety data to create a trusted ecosystem. Standardisation, stronger regulations, and improved operations hinge on collective action. “By sharing anonymised safety data, the industry can create a trusted ecosystem that strengthens standardisation and regulations, improves operations, and safeguards seafarer welfare. Together, we can create one of the most powerful maritime safety initiatives to navigate us through the pressures and changes impacting international shipping in the years to come.”
The report is a rallying cry for maritime professionals, policymakers, and stakeholders to roll up their sleeves and take collective action. The future of maritime safety isn’t just about better tech—it’s about better support for the humans who keep the wheels turning. The question is, will the industry listen?