How Grounding Alerts Help Maritime Authorities Act Faster

When you think of dramatic maritime accidents, storms, fires, or piracy might come to mind. But talk to anyone in the industry about everyday risks, and one word keeps coming up: grounding. Even as ships get bigger and technology advances, groundings stubbornly remain widespread and among the costliest incidents in global shipping.

Not a Problem of the Past

It’s tempting to think grounding incidents should be history by now. Yet according to the Allianz Safety & Shipping Review 2025, they’re still among the top three incident types worldwide. The latest MAIB report found that merchant vessel groundings more than doubled in 2023 compared to the year before, even as total vessel losses hit historic lows. These aren’t just numbers; each incident can mean operational shutdowns, complex salvage operations, environmental harm, and significant financial losses across the supply chain.

Why Do Ships Still Run Aground?

With so much technology on board, it sounds almost unthinkable. But the reasons are rarely mysterious: GPS jamming or spoofing, navigation mistakes, technical hiccups, harsh weather, and more than anything good old human error and fatigue. According to industry data, human error still plays a part in about 75% of shipping incidents, and the pressures on crews are only growing as ships get larger and voyages busier. Most groundings start small – routine decisions in familiar waters that add up.

Are We Catching Every Incident?

Strict reporting rules exist in both the EU and US, but reality is messier. Many minor groundings slip through the cracks, especially in busy or poorly regulated areas. Reporting can be delayed, data is often siloed, and sometimes authorities don’t see the whole picture until much later. This is a challenge for compliance, and for operators who need to respond quickly and back up their actions with reliable data.

The Data’s There, But Can You Use It?

Ships broadcast their positions via AIS around the clock, creating a digital heartbeat for every voyage. Analysed the right way, this data can spot trouble in real time. But raw data alone is just noise unless you can filter and interpret it fast enough to act. That’s where automated analytics are quietly rewriting the rulebook.

Define a risk zone, set the system to watch for unusual stops, and you’ll get an instant alert if a vessel suddenly stops in a suspicious location, ignoring normal pauses at ports or anchorages. That means authorities can see potential groundings as they happen, not hours or days later.

Case in Point: Detect, Notify, and Rewind

Recently, we ran a demo with our analytics platform. A vessel stopped suddenly in Danish waters; within seconds, the system flagged a possible grounding. With just a few clicks, we replayed the track, saw exactly where the incident happened, and had an auditable record ready for investigation. No waiting for paperwork, no uncertainty, just clear, real-time documentation. Having this kind of automated evidence makes compliance, insurance claims, and even legal processes far less stressful for everyone involved.

The Industry Is Changing Fast

Shipping is moving from slow, manual reporting to instant, data-driven evidence. Predictive analytics, AI, and automated event detection aren’t just buzzwords, they’re rapidly becoming the industry standard for managing risk and proving compliance. As operations get faster and more complex, leveraging live data isn’t optional anymore if you want to get ahead of the next incident.

Final Thoughts

Groundings may never disappear completely, but the way we detect, document, and respond to them is catching up with reality. For authorities and operators, the message is clear: the data you need is already at your fingertips. The next step is turning it into insight and action, before a small incident becomes a big problem.

Authored by

Kim Bøjlund
Product Manager, Gatehouse Maritime