Gard released its second Crew Claims Report on the Day of Seafarer, outlining key trends and developments in seafarer injuries, illnesses and fatalities worldwide. Drawing on claims data from 2024 and insights from over 6,000 seafarers, the report reveals a troubling increase in crew deaths and emphasizes the need to further prioritise mental and physical wellbeing at sea.
The Gard Crew Claims Report is based on a comprehensive review of all crew claims registered under Gard’s P&I mutual portfolio during 2024 – around 3000 cases in total – drawing comparisons from previous years to identify key trends and variations.
To complement the claims data, insights for the report are also drawn from Gard’s Crew Wellbeing Survey from 2024, which includes responses from over 6,000 seafarers across 46 nationalities, exploring factors such as physical health, mental wellbeing, rest and social support.
Among the report findings is a 25% rise in the frequency of crew death claims in Gard’s P&I mutual portfolio when comparing the three years following the Covid-19 pandemic to the three years before it.
“This is a highly concerning development, and one we will monitor closely to see if there are underlying issues that need to be addressed,” said Lene-Camilla Nordlie, Vice President and Head of People Claims at Gard.
Other key findings include:
- Illness is the leading cause of deaths. 83% of the crew fatalities registered in 2024 were related to illness.
- Stress is a key factor: 8 out of the 10 most common illnesses among crew can be caused or aggravated by stress.
- Suicide rates remain concerning: The number of suicides among crew exceeded the number of fatal accidents, according to Gard’s data.
“This underscores the importance of having a stronger focus on mental health and wellbeing at sea,” said Nordlie. “While some stressors can be handled by seafarers themselves, many factors are controlled or influenced by companies and authorities.”
The report is extensive with deep research for each claim and the findings are very concerning. The key concern we noted is about the fatalities data where Suicide: 9%, Injury: 8%, and Illness: 83% of the fatalities cases. Gard registered over 90 incidents leading to crew fatalities in 2024, representing 4% of the total crew claims registered for Gard P&I mutual portfolio.
It is concerning to note that fatality due suicide is more than the fatality arising out of injury.
Although strict PEME system in place, 83 claims for illness is also a point of concern, as there are many seafarers joining vessel with much lesser medical examination regine than PEME.