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Last year nobody lost their life in accidents at sea on Icelandic vessels. This makes 2008 unique with regard to the annual death figures compiled by the Icelandic Maritime Administration (IMA).
In a press release the IMA states that due to Iceland’s close links to the sea and the importance of seafaring since the beginning, it is perfectly possible that 2008 was the first year without a fatal accident at sea since Iceland was first settled over a thousand years ago.
In the last century over 4,000 people lost their lives at sea either in onboard accidents or by drowning, according to Statistics Iceland. However, the number of deaths at sea started to contract quickly in the second half of the 20th century.
There are several explanations for this good news. The quality of shipbuilding has improved, safety standards have improved, and the actual number of people needed to operate fishing vessels is less now than in was.
Over the last year special emphasis has been placed on reinforcing safety concerns among seamen, but DV reports that it is mostly themselves the seamen have to thank for this satisfying development.
