05/09/2025
INDUSTRY LOOKOUT: Training must be regularly refreshed and reflect the real pressures faced by seafarers working in enclosed spaces, or more lives will be lost, warned Marinos Kokkinis, Managing Director of OneLearn Global, a member of the OneCare Group.
In an opinion piece reported by Safety4Sea, Kokkinis stressed that enclosed space deaths are not isolated tragedies but preventable failures. “Behind every statistic is a person who didn’t come home,” he said, noting that more than 1,000 ship and shore workers have died in enclosed spaces over the past 25 years.
Despite a decline in recorded fatalities—from 72 in 2019 to 29 in 2024—Kokkinis cautioned that this progress was largely driven by high-profile prosecutions, not systemic change. “We must not confuse fear of legal action with cultural change,” he argued.
According to Kokkinis, current training often shows crews what should happen in theory, without reflecting time pressures, workload stress, or commercial demands. He called for mandatory enclosed space training for all at-risk personnel, with regular refreshers integrated into safety management systems.
He further urged the industry to address commercial pressures, such as tight schedules and cargo demands, that incentivize unsafe decisions. “No cargo is so important that it cannot be transported safely,” Kokkinis said, adding that charterparty terms should include safety clauses.
While some improvement has been seen, Kokkinis emphasized that lasting change requires stronger leadership, better training, and an industry-wide cultural shift to prioritize safety over speed.
