Last year, a total of 38 large ships were lost worldwide total of 38 large ships worldwide, a number that represents a decrease of -36% compared to 2021 and is the lowest since the insurance company Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (GATS) publishes its 'Safety & Shipping Review' report, which shows that in 2022 most of the total ship losses total ship losses occurred in the China Sea region South, while the largest number of maritime accidents was recorded in the waters of the British Isles. "The ship losses," noted Commander Rahul Khanna, head of Marine Risk Consulting at AGCS - fell to the lowest recorded in the 12-year history of our annual report and this reflects the positive impact that the safety programmes, training courses, changes in ship design and regulation have had over time.'

Last year, the largest share of ships whose of ships whose total loss was declared was that of units for general cargo, with ten ships lost compared to 30 in 2021. This is followed by fishing vessels with six vessels compared to seven in 2021 and then tugs and passenger vessels, categories that in 2022 both recorded a loss of five vessels compared to two and five, respectively, in the previous year.

Among the causes for the total loss of vessels in 2022 ships, sinking was the most frequent with 20 cases compared to 35 in 2021. This was followed by fire and explosion with eight cases compared to nine in 2021 and collisions with four cases compared to three.

Remarking on the reduction of these serious maritime accidents, Khanna noted that, "although these results are gratifying, several clouds appear on the horizon. More than a year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine,' he explained, the growth of the shadow oil tanker fleet represents a consequence that puts pressure on ship owners, crews and insurers. In addition,' Khanna specified, 'fire safety fire safety and the problem of misdeclaration of goods must be resolved if the industry is to benefit from the efficiency the efficiency provided by ever larger ships. Inflation,' Khanna went on to say, 'is pushing up the cost of claims up the costs of claims related to the body and machinery of ships and the goods transported ships and the goods transported. Meanwhile, despite efforts for the decarbonisation of the sector are progressing, this remains by far the industry's biggest challenge. The economic pressures,' Khanna emphasised, 'could jeopardise vital investments in company strategies, as well as other safety initiatives. as well as other security initiatives.'

Referring to the issue of shadow fleets, with the sanctions on oil that have led Russia and its allies to create a fleet of shadow oil tankers to transport and sell their oil, a fleet estimated at up to 600 ships, Justus Heinrich, global product leader Marine Hull of AGCS - explained that "it is very likely that the shadow fleet will be composed of older ships, operating under flags of convenience with less stringent maintenance standards. The increase in their numbers,' he noted - represents a worrying development, which threatens the world fleet and the environment. A serious accident can cause loss of life as well as damage or pollution uninsured. In May 2023,' recalled Heinrich, 'an uninsured and uncargoed tanker, the Pablo, exploded in exploded in south-east Asia, killing the crew."

Listing the highest risks involved in transport by sea, the GATS report highlights the risk of fire, also in view of the fact that the decarbonisation of entire economic and social activities is increasing the maritime transport of new types of cargo, such as electric vehicles electric vehicles and battery-powered products. In particular, the lithium-ion batteries, which are potentially highly flammable, pose an increasing risk for transport by container ships and car carriers, since it is expected that the battery market will grow annually by a rate more than 30 per cent over the next decade. "Most of ships,' Khanna noted, 'do not have adequate protection, detection and fire-fighting capabilities to deal with such fires at sea. The focus must be on both preventive measures as well as on contingency plans to help mitigate this danger, such as adequate crew training and access to appropriate fire-fighting equipment or the improvement of early detection systems. It would be useful,' he specified, 'ships purpose-built ships for transporting electric vehicles would be useful.'

The report also notes the risk associated with the increasing amount of dangerous goods transported by ever larger ships larger ships, a development that means an amplification of the impact of fires and a worsening of accidents. GATS reported that, analysing almost 250,000 claims in the insurance sector maritime insurance, it found that fire is the cause of the most expensive losses, accounting for 18% of the value of all claims of all claims.

Incorrect declaration of dangerous goods represents a significant element of risk. The report explains that around 25 per cent of all serious accidents on board container ships are due to misdeclared dangerous goods incorrectly declared, such as chemicals, batteries and coal, although many believe this number to be higher. "The incorrect declaration, documentation and packaging of dangerous goods dangerous goods," Khanna pointed out, "can contribute to fuel fires or hinder efforts to contain them. Declaring a cargo as dangerous is more expensive. Therefore, some companies try to circumvent this problem declaring, for example, fireworks as toys or lithium-ion batteries as computer parts. Several large container shipping companies have turned to technology to technology to address this problem by using cargo cargo screening software to detect suspicious bookings and cargo details, while large container operators are containers are imposing penalties. They would welcome,' Khanna standard requirements and penalties for incorrectly declared dangerous goods would be welcome incorrectly declared dangerous goods.