Safety in Finnish waters
The situational picture examines safety and its development in Finnish waters. The data are primarily updated once a year. The information is produced by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom.
Compared to previous years, the numbers of accidents in Finnish waters have remained consistent on average. During 2023, Traficom was informed of 34 accidents and 10 incidents in Finnish waters.
Finnish vessels were involved in 25 accidents in Finnish waters. The corresponding figure in 2022 was 22. Finnish vessels were involved in 61% of the accidents that occurred in Finnish waters in 2023 (88% in 2022). The volume of traffic to Finnish ports decreased slightly compared to the previous year.
The number of incidents involving Finnish vessels in Finnish waters was seven. The corresponding figure in 2022 was eight. Finnish vessels were involved in 58% of the incidents that occurred in Finnish waters in 2023 (53% in 2022).
Accidents and incidents in Finnish waters in 2023
Based on a time series encompassing a period of ten years, the number of accidents in Finnish waters is approximately 25–41 per year. While annual variation in the number of marine accidents has been high at times, it should be noted that the number of accidents alone does not provide information about the develop
Based on a time series encompassing a period of five years, Traficom receives reports of 10–23 incidents in Finnish waters per year. Annual variation in the number of incidents has remained quite low so far, but it should be noted that the number of incidents alone does not provide information about the development of maritime safety, as the variation is random. The time series is still relatively short, making it difficult to draw any conclusions. General understanding of what actually constitutes an incident and how the concept affects safety culture is still somewhat low. In any case, the number of reported incidents can be considered small in relation to the number of accident reports. This would indicate that there is a need to further increase seafarers’ awareness of the importance and benefits of reporting incidents.
Accidents by type of accident
Similar to previous years, groundings and strandings were the most common type of accident. The number of groundings and strandings was 15, accounting for 44.1% of accidents in Finnish waters. The number of groundings and strandings has remained quite consistent year after year.
The number of contacts and collisions was 14, accounting for 41.1% of all accidents, while the number of fires/explosions was 3, accounting for 8.8% of all accidents.
Incidents, most likely consequence
Maritime incident reports must specify the most likely consequence of the incident, meaning what the incident would have resulted in without intervention. In 2023, the most likely consequences of incidents were distributed evenly with contact/collision as the most commonly reported consequence at 30% (3 pcs) of all incidents. Other consequence means that the most likely consequences of the incident could not be accurately determined. Of all reported incidents, one, or 10%, fell into this category.
Accidents by vessel class
The vessel class with the most accidents was general cargo ships. General cargo ships were involved in six accidents, which amounts to 17.6% of all accidents in 2023. The share of ro-ro passenger ships in accidents in Finnish waters remained the same compared to 2022. Ro-ro passenger ships were involved in 14.7% of accidents in 2023, whereas in 2022 they were involved in 24% of accidents.
Incidents by vessel class
General cargo ships and passenger ships were most commonly involved in incidents in Finnish waters (each category twice). These amounted to 40% of all incidents. In the previous year, ro-ro cargo vessels were the most common class of vessel involved in incidents in Finnish waters with five incidents, accounting for 33.3% of all incidents.
Port state controls in Finland
The number of port state controls conducted on foreign ships in Finland during 2023 was 298. The number of individual ships inspected in this context was 284. A total of 131 notices of deficiencies were issued in 69 inspections.
The number of ships inspected in Finland has remained very consistent during the last few years, with the exception of 2020, when the number of ships inspected was slightly lower compared to previous years.
The numbers of ships detained in Finland have remained very low in recent years. The results of the port state controls conducted in Finland can be considered good. The inspections indicate that foreign ships visiting Finland comply with the requirements of international regulations well.