Maritime work remains one of the most dangerous occupations in the world. While public attention often focuses on dramatic incidents at sea, fatalities related to maritime employment also occur in ports, harbors, marine terminals, seafood processing facilities, and other shore-based operations. Understanding how, where, and why these deaths occur is essential for improving safety, enforcing accountability, and helping families navigate the legal and regulatory frameworks that apply after a fatal maritime incident.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of maritime fatality statistics across the full maritime industry, drawing on data from U.S. and international authorities.
Maritime fatalities are not limited to deaths that occur on open water. Federal agencies and international regulators generally include deaths arising from employment in maritime-related operations, including:
The legal rights and remedies available to families often depend on where the fatality occurred and the worker’s status at the time of the incident.
Fatalities at sea continue to account for a significant portion of maritime deaths, particularly in high-risk sectors.
Commercial fishing consistently ranks as the deadliest occupation in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, fatality rates in commercial fishing are many times higher than the national average for all occupations. For instance, from 2000–2019 there were approximately 878 commercial fisherman deaths in the U.S., averaging over 43 fatalities per year. Nearly 47% of these fatalities occurred after a vessel disaster, roughly 30% were due to falls overboard, and 14% resulted from onboard injuries not involving a vessel disaster.
Most common causes of death related to commercial fishing include:
Mariners working aboard cargo ships, tankers, and offshore energy vessels face risks that include:
Deaths occurring in these environments frequently raise issues under the Jones Act, which governs negligence claims for qualifying seamen injured or killed in the course of employment.
Quantifying exact numbers of deaths in shipping sectors such as cargo or tanker vessels is more complex because reporting systems differ by flag state and reporting authority. However, data from the European Maritime Safety Agency’s annual overview shows that worldwide very serious marine casualties (including those involving deaths) have averaged 57 per year from 2020–2024, with 2024 reporting at least 51 very serious marine casualties.
Ports and harbors present a different but equally serious risk profile. These environments combine heavy equipment, vessel traffic, and multiple employers working simultaneously.
Fatal incidents in ports often involve:
Data for port related deaths is not always tallied separately by federal agencies in the same way as offshore deaths, but the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that the broader category of “farming, fishing, and forestry” - which would include commercial fishing - had a fatal work injury rate of 24.4 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2023, far above the national average across all occupations of 3.5 per 100,000.
While these deaths may not occur offshore, they remain maritime in nature and are often governed by federal maritime or harbor worker statutes rather than standard state workers’ compensation laws.
Marine terminals are among the most hazardous shore-based maritime workplaces. According to data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, terminal-related fatalities frequently result from struck-by and caught-between incidents.
Common causes include:
The complexity of terminal operations often leads to multi-party liability questions involving vessel owners, terminal operators, and third-party contractors.
Seafood processing and maritime support facilities are often overlooked in discussions of maritime fatalities, yet they account for a measurable number of workplace deaths each year.
Fatal hazards in these environments include:
Depending on the circumstances, these deaths may fall under maritime law, federal harbor worker protections, or state systems, making jurisdictional analysis critical.
Globally, maritime fatalities remain a serious concern. International bodies such as the International Labour Organization have estimated that up to 24,000 fishermen die every year in accidents on fishing vessels worldwide, though accurate counts vary widely due to reporting differences between regions.
In terms of vessel involvement, global reports indicate that around 2,864 ships were involved in marine casualties and incidents in 2024, demonstrating ongoing safety challenges across the industry.
Both The International Maritime Organization and the International Labour Organization report that safety outcomes vary widely by region, vessel type, and regulatory enforcement.
Other key trends or themes identified by international authorities include:
While safety technology and international standards have improved outcomes in some sectors, fatal incidents continue to occur at a rate far above most land-based industries.
While civilian maritime fatalities at sea, in ports, and in marine terminals account for the majority of occupational maritime death statistics, additional data points provide important context about how risk, reporting, and jurisdiction vary across maritime environments.
Fatalities involving military maritime service members are tracked separately from civilian maritime deaths and are not included in Bureau of Labor Statistics, NIOSH, or OSHA datasets. As a result, Navy and Coast Guard deaths at sea are often excluded from public discussions of maritime fatality statistics.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Casualty Analysis System, the U.S. Navy reported 151 active-duty deaths in 2024, including deaths occurring aboard vessels, during underway operations, and during maritime training exercises.
Between 2010 and 2024, the Department of Defense recorded more than 1,800 total Navy fatalities, a subset of which occurred in maritime operational environments.
These figures demonstrate that fatal risk persists even in highly regulated and structured maritime environments, though military deaths fall under distinct legal and reporting systems that differ from civilian maritime law.
Not all maritime-related deaths occur at the scene of an accident. Data from the U.S. Coast Guard and OSHA indicate that some fatalities result from complications following serious non-fatal injuries, including:
The U.S. Coast Guard acknowledges that fatality statistics may not always capture deaths occurring after medical evacuation or hospitalization, particularly when death occurs days or weeks later.
Mental Health and Suicide at Sea
Maritime occupations involve prolonged isolation, extended shifts, fatigue, and limited access to mental health care. Research published by the International Labour Organization and maritime safety bodies has identified mental health stressors as a contributing factor in some maritime fatalities, including suicides aboard vessels.
While comprehensive global suicide statistics for seafarers remain limited, the International Transport Workers’ Federation and ILO have both acknowledged underreporting of mental-health-related deaths among seafarers, particularly on international and flag-of-convenience vessels.
When compared to land-based employment, maritime work continues to demonstrate significantly elevated fatality risk.
According to NIOSH, commercial fishing fatality rates have historically exceeded 100 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, compared with a national occupational fatality rate of approximately 3.5 per 100,000 workers across all industries.
These disparities illustrate how certain maritime occupations remain among the most dangerous civilian jobs in the United States, even as overall workplace fatality rates decline.
International maritime authorities consistently note that global maritime fatality figures likely underrepresent the true number of deaths. The International Maritime Organization and International Labour Organization cite several contributing factors:
The International Maritime Organization has stated that data gaps remain a significant obstacle to improving global maritime safety outcomes.
Where a fatal incident occurs has a direct impact on the legal rights available to surviving family members. Different statutes may apply depending on whether the death occurred at sea, in a harbor, or at a terminal.
Key distinctions include:
Understanding these distinctions is often essential to determining eligibility for compensation, the availability of wrongful death claims, and the parties that may be held responsible.
Accurate reporting and analysis of maritime deaths serve multiple purposes:
Maritime fatality statistics are not merely abstract data points. Each represents a worker whose job placed them in a uniquely hazardous environment and a family left seeking answers. For more information on maritime accidents and the laws governing maritime deaths, or to discuss a specific situation, you may contact us directly by phone.