Our work
Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board is a independent unit under the Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs that investigates accidents related to shipping and fishing.
About DMAIB
We investigate accidents on Danish and Greenlandic ships, and accidents on foreign ships in Danish and Greenlandic water. We also investigate serious accidents related to commercial diving.
The goal with the investigation is to clarify the accidents, and to provide education about safety at sea. The investigations do not take precautions about punishment- or replacement courtly relations.
The Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board investigates approximately 110 accidents yearly, where 10 of these investiagtions are published as sea accident repports or as investigation resumées. Furthermore, the board's employees are hosting 20-30 lectures yearly about different topics on safety at sea, and general safety and accident theoretical subjects.
This is how an investigation process looks
1. Data collection
The investigation starts with a collection of the information which maps the facts and circumstances of the accident.
2. Analysis
The information is analyzed to clarify what have happened, and which events that have lead to the accident. The complexity of the accident defines whether an accident repport or a summary report is published. Investigations that aren't published as reports, are populated in our accident database.
3. Writing the report
A report is written presenting the accident narrative, the results of the investigation and a conclusion explaining the accident is presented.
4. Consultation
The preliminary report is sent in consultation to the involved parties to ensure that the information from the data collection is accurate.
5. Publication
The final report is published on the Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board's website: www.dmaib.dk. The investigation process can be expected to last between 6 - 12 months.
Which accidents are investigated?
The board investigates events, that have happened in direct relation with the operation of the ship.
This could be:
- Collision
- Grounding
- Falling over board
- Fire or explosion
- Serious diving accident
- Serious injuries or death to personnel
- Serious damage to ships, infrastructure or environment
An action that is deliberately aimed at damaging a ship, a person or environment, is not viewed as an accident.
Accident investigation
The Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board's investigations are answering three, fundamental questions:
- What happened?
The course of the accident is described in a factual, cronological storyline - How did it happen?
The technical specifications of the accident are mapped - Why did it happen?
Based on an analysis of the accidents timeline and the technical specifications, it is determined how the accident happened