Develop practical investigation knowledge for evidence collection, interviews, event reconstruction, causal analysis, root causes, human factors, safety recommendations and professional maritime investigation reporting.
IMT currently offers a standalone Incident Investigation course and a combined Risk Management, Casualty Investigation & Incident Investigation programme.
The current standalone programme lists one section, one lesson, one quiz and 52 hours of study. It focuses on causal factors, information collection, investigation reporting and safety recommendations.
View Incident Investigation →The current combined course contains three specialist lessons and three quizzes: Risk Management, Casualty Investigation and Incident Investigation.
View Combined Programme →A marine safety investigation seeks to understand the circumstances and causal factors of a casualty or incident so that safety lessons can be identified and recurrence can be reduced.
IMO's Casualty Investigation Code establishes international standards and recommended practices for safety investigations into marine casualties and incidents. Parts I and II of the Code are mandatory under SOLAS chapter XI-1, while Part III contains guidance and explanatory material.
A safety investigation is different from a process whose primary purpose is to assign civil or criminal liability. Investigators need to gather and analyse evidence objectively, reconstruct the sequence of events, understand technical and human/organizational factors and develop safety conclusions supported by the evidence.
Companies also conduct internal incident investigations under their Safety Management Systems. Internal investigations may not have the same legal status as an official State marine safety investigation, but they use many of the same core disciplines: evidence preservation, interviews, causal analysis, reporting and corrective action.
Protect life, control ongoing hazards and preserve relevant evidence where possible.
Clarify the event, authority, objectives and boundaries of the investigation.
Gather records, electronic data, documents, photographs, physical evidence and other relevant information.
Obtain accounts from personnel in a fair, structured and non-leading manner.
Reconstruct events and decisions before, during and after the occurrence.
Examine technical, operational, human and organizational contributors.
Connect conclusions to evidence and identify meaningful safety lessons.
Produce a clear report and recommendations or corrective actions aimed at preventing recurrence.
Stopping at the last action made by a person can miss the deeper conditions that made the event possible.
What people or systems did immediately before the event.
Whether the work method was practical, understood and consistent with real operations.
How equipment condition, interfaces, alarms, controls or design affected performance.
Whether personnel had appropriate knowledge, practice and understanding.
How alertness, workload, timing and work/rest conditions influenced decisions.
Whether information was available, understood and transferred effectively.
How planning, oversight, resources and management decisions shaped the event.
Whether previous warnings, near misses or recurring deficiencies had been identified and addressed.
Different processes can examine the same event for different purposes.
Focused on understanding causes and improving safety, under the applicable Casualty Investigation Code and State framework.
Focused on internal learning, nonconformity, risk control, corrective action and prevention of recurrence.
May examine liability, offences or employment matters under a separate legal or organizational process.
Shipboard leaders responsible for reporting, evidence and internal investigation support.
Technical leaders involved in machinery incidents and causal analysis.
Shore-based personnel responsible for SMS incident investigations and corrective actions.
Managers reviewing vessel incidents, defects and fleet learning.
Professionals developing investigation knowledge, subject to official State training/authorization.
Survey professionals supporting damage, incident or evidence-related assignments.
Professionals reviewing casualty facts, reports and loss-prevention lessons.
Consultants supporting internal investigations, root-cause reviews and safety improvement.
IMO adopted the Casualty Investigation Code through resolution MSC.255(84). SOLAS chapter XI-1 makes Parts I and II mandatory. The Code has also been amended, including by resolution MSC.390(94), and IMO adopted resolution A.1075(28) to assist investigators with implementation.
IMO also requires reporting of marine casualties and incidents through relevant SOLAS, MARPOL and Load Line provisions, with online reporting supported through GISIS and harmonized reporting procedures.
Standalone Certificate of Competence: 1 section, 1 lesson, 1 quiz and 52 hours of listed study.
Combined course with three lessons and three quizzes covering Risk Management, Casualty Investigation and Incident Investigation.
Standalone Risk Management training can strengthen hazard identification and corrective-action decision making.
It is a structured safety investigation into a marine casualty or incident intended to identify circumstances, causal factors and safety lessons.
It is the Code adopted by resolution MSC.255(84) establishing international standards and recommended practices for marine safety investigations.
Yes. Parts I and II are mandatory under SOLAS chapter XI-1; Part III contains guidance and explanatory material.
The exact definitions depend on the applicable framework, but casualty terminology generally covers events involving serious consequences, while marine incidents can include events or sequences that endangered safety without necessarily producing the same level of consequence.
It is the process of examining contributing and underlying factors rather than stopping at the immediate act or failure.
Performance is influenced by task design, equipment, workload, fatigue, communication, supervision and organizational conditions, so investigations should examine the system around the individual.
Investigators can use electronic data, logs, documents, maintenance records, photographs, physical evidence, environmental data and interviews.
Yes. IMT currently lists the standalone Incident Investigation course as an online 52-hour Certificate of Competence with one lesson and one quiz.
No. Official marine safety investigators act under the authority and arrangements of the relevant investigating State.
Choose standalone Incident Investigation for focused training, or the combined Risk Management, Casualty Investigation & Incident Investigation programme for a broader pathway.
Tell us about your current maritime role and training objective. Our team can provide course information and help you choose the most relevant training pathway.
