Maritime casualties can lead to significant challenges, including loss of income, danger to human life, physical damage to vessels, offshore energy units, and cargo, and environmental harm. These complexities create difficulties for professionals in insurance, shipping, finance, and logistics. This is why transparency in casualty reporting is so important.
Despite advancements in safety protocols, the unpredictable nature of global events continues to pose significant threats to maritime trade. As a result, there’s a growing demand for reliable casualty data. This data must come from trusted sources and be based on accurate, swiftly validated information.
In this third instalment of our Data Differentiators series, we explore the importance of reliability in maritime casualty reporting and how Lloyd’s List Intelligence continues to lead the way in providing trusted, accurate data to the industry.
Introducing LLI casualty data
Our market-leading casualty reporting service is the longest-running and most established maritime casualties record service in the world.
Casualty data at Lloyd’s List Intelligence covers a wide range of incident types, including machinery damage, collisions, fires/explosions, piracy, war loss, arrests/seizures, and many others.
Our casualty data team works to publish data within minutes of receiving an incident report. That means that anyone who uses our service can access casualty alerts that are updated 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
What makes our casualty reporting so reliable?
Our casualty reporting stands at the forefront of the industry due to three core components: diverse data sources, sophisticated analytics, and human expertise. Together, these elements form SeaTech, our proprietary blend of differentiated data, context, and support.
Diverse data sources
Our team relies on reporting from unique reporting relationships, robust open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques, and proprietary AIS analysis.
The exclusive partnership with the Lloyd’s Agency Network grants us unparalleled access to on-the-ground intelligence. This extensive network, consisting of 500 agents and sub-agents worldwide, ensures we receive accurate updates on maritime casualties and incidents as they happen.
We also benefit from other trusted sources, receiving reports and detailed follow-up details from:
In addition, we perform AIS analysis to identify and confirm casualties. This analysis is key for providing the most timely and updated location data for our casualty reporting, including alerting when vessels have left the area an incident occurred.
Sophisticated analytics
Advanced analytics allow us to process vast amounts of data quickly and accurately. Our tools can identify patterns and trends, providing deeper insights into each incident.
We use descriptive, predictive, and diagnostic analytics to help support and substantiate your analysis and due diligence.
In casualty data, we leverage these analytics to identify incidents before they’re reported, and to corroborate incident reports from other sources, leading to more accurate data on timings and locations of incidents.
Human expertise
Our team of maritime data experts scrutinises every report for accuracy.
Their deep industry connections and experience add a necessary layer of context and validation, enabling us to maintain the highest standards of reporting.
In addition to accuracy and depth, we also prioritise speed. Upon receiving reports of new incidents, we publish 80% of them within 20 minutes. Of our casualty reports, 81% are published within three days of the incident, including as much detail as possible on the status of the incident, details on the vessels involved, and clear location data.
Case study: Typhoon Gaemi & Terra Nova
A recent example underscores our role in delivering timely and reliable casualty reporting.
In July 2024, a Philippine-registered oil tanker named the MT Terra Nova capsized near the coast of Manila. Carrying close to 1.5 million liters of industrial fuel, the ship caused an oil spill that stretched over several kilometres, raising concerns that it could result in one of the biggest oil spills in the country's history.
One of our Lloyd’s Agents in Manila alerted us immediately to this issue. This allowed us to be among the first to provide an accurate and comprehensive report on the incident, including the rescue efforts of the missing crew, the impact of the oil spill, and the ensuing investigation into the ship’s capsize.
Case study: Dali & the Francis Scott Key bridge
In March 2024, a Singapore-registered container ship named the Dali lost power and collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Travelling at 10 knots, the vessel caused the dramatic collapse of the 3 km-long (1.6 miles) bridge.
Initial reports suggested mass casualties, which were later found to be unfounded. While some sources hastily deemed the incident as involving total losses, this was incorrect; the ship was stuck on the bridge. While other data sources broke the story before we did, their reporting was inaccurate or misleading. By waiting to verify the facts from our sources, we ensured accurate and truthful reporting.
Ensuring integrity and excellence with our world-class data
The maritime industry needs greater transparency, and we’re playing our part to set the standards.
Our commitment to timely and precise reporting makes us a trusted partner to maritime professionals worldwide.
Visit our webpage to learn more about how you can leverage this data excellence in your own operations.
The most accurate and reliable ship tracking data on the market. Underpinned by exclusive data sources, advanced analytics capabilities, and an unparalleled network of human expertise