Splash247: Four in five crew deaths linked to illness, Britannia finds

Published by Splash247

More than four in five seafarer deaths handled by Britannia P&I were caused by illness rather than accidents, with cardiovascular disease emerging as the biggest killer onboard.

Britannia’s new Crew Claims Report, based on nearly 3,000 claims from the 2023/24 and 2024/25 policy years, found 81% of fatalities were illness-related and just 19% resulted from injuries. Cardiovascular conditions accounted for 58% of illness-related deaths.

The figures sharpen findings reported by Splash this week showing illness accounted for 60% of all Britannia crew claims, against 36% for injuries and 4% for fatalities.

They also echo data released by shipmanager Anglo-Eastern last week showing illnesses, injuries and other crew cases dominate its active P&I claims portfolio.

Britannia identified another worrying pattern among younger seafarers, with suicides and missing-at-sea cases disproportionately affecting younger age groups. Although numbers remain relatively small, the club said the same trend appears across a wider four-year dataset.

“Maritime safety is often viewed through the lens of accidents and operational incidents, but our latest claims analysis reveals a different reality,” said Jacob Damgaard, Britannia’s head of loss prevention.

Injury risks nevertheless remain significant. Hand and finger injuries represented 27% of injury claims, while more than one-third of injury-related deaths involved man-overboard incidents.

Abdominal conditions were the largest category of illness claims, with dehydration-related kidney stones highlighted as a particular problem for crews operating in hotter climates.

The findings add to a growing discussion around preventative healthcare at sea. Splash reported earlier this year that many common medical problems become serious because treatment is delayed, while concerns remain that lack of privacy onboard can discourage especially younger seafarers from seeking help.

Britannia argues the numbers make a strong case for shifting more attention from accident prevention alone towards cardiovascular screening, everyday health management and mental wellbeing.