The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its latest compilation of 49 marine investigations, as it called on shipping companies and operators to review their daily operations to prevent catastrophic marine accidents that result in high operational costs.
In a statement during the release of its “Safer Seas Digest 2025,” the NTSB said that re-examining daily operations is critical for maritime stakeholders – owners, operators, mariners, and vessel designers – especially the circumstances that led to accidents aboard vessels.
“By considering our lessons learned or finding your own lessons learned from the accidents we investigated, it is our hope that mariners can make changes to avoid similar accidents,” the US government agency said.
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The latest edition comprises 136 pages – more than triple the number in its first edition in 2013 – of various maritime incidents, including capsizings, collisions, allisions, fires, floodings, groundings and machinery damage.
The compilation noted that the incidents could be prevented.
Among the marine investigations published in the latest edition of the Safer Seas Digest are the containership that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland and the product tanker that experienced severe hydrodynamic bank effect and shoaling in the Cooper River near Charleston, South Carolina.
NTSB investigators urged maritime operators and shipping companies to consider the following to prevent more incidents; There is proper maintenance of vessels; effective voyage planning and management; detecting and containing vessel fires; assessing the condition of waterfront infrastructure and ensuring watertight integrity.
In addition, the agency asked vessel operators to account for bank effect; combat fatigue and distraction; properly monitor lithium-ion batteries in cargo holds; mitigate the risks of a loss of electrical power; ensure planning and training for emergencies; carefully operate vessels in strong currents or heavy-weather conditions and properly operate equipment and machinery systems as designed.
These recommendations are being emphasized by the agency in its compilation to ensure safe shipping and prevent catastrophic incidents from happening in the future.
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Bobbie Matias 
Maybelene Marcelino