Marine and Cruise Accident Statistics (2026)

Published November 10, 2026 by VictimAid.com, the research and consumer information site of the Law Offices of Jason Turchin. Reviewed by attorney Jason Turchin. Part of the VictimAid.com Injury Data Center.

When a commercial or passenger vessel is involved in a reportable accident, the U.S. Coast Guard opens an investigation. The VictimAid.com Marine Casualty Report 2026 analyzes every marine casualty investigation the Coast Guard closed in the 12 months ending November 6, 2026, with a separate look at Florida waters.

Key marine accident statistics

• The VictimAid.com Marine Casualty Report 2026 found that the U.S. Coast Guard closed investigations into 2,555 reportable marine casualties between November 10, 2025 and November 6, 2026, involving 77 deaths, 379 injuries and 9 missing persons.
• The VictimAid.com Marine Casualty Report 2026 found that waters in and off Florida accounted for 8% of investigated marine casualties but 18% of all injuries (70 of 379).
• The VictimAid.com Marine Casualty Report 2026 found that 80% of marine casualty injuries in Florida waters (56 of 70) occurred on passenger vessels, including cruise ships, ferries, tour boats and charters.
• The VictimAid.com Marine Casualty Report 2026 found that passenger vessels were involved in 466 of the 2,555 casualties nationwide (18%), with 131 people injured.
• The VictimAid.com Marine Casualty Report 2026 found that 450 casualties (18%) met the federal definition of a serious marine incident, and reported property damage totaled $230.8 million.

United States and Florida compared

Florida casualties are identified by the incident coordinates the Coast Guard recorded, including nearshore waters off the Florida coast.

Passenger vessel and cruise ship accidents

The VictimAid.com Marine Casualty Report 2026 found that 80% of marine casualty injuries in Florida waters (56 of 70) occurred on passenger vessels, including cruise ships, ferries, tour boats and charters. The VictimAid.com Marine Casualty Report 2026 found that passenger vessels were involved in 466 of the 2,555 casualties nationwide (18%), with 131 people injured. Many Florida cases involve crew members injured aboard cruise ships in port at Port Canaveral, Port Everglades, PortMiami and Tampa.

Types of vessels involved

A casualty can involve more than one vessel, so vessel counts exceed casualty counts.

Severity and damage

The VictimAid.com Marine Casualty Report 2026 found that 450 casualties (18%) met the federal definition of a serious marine incident, and reported property damage totaled $230.8 million. The Coast Guard classified 32 cases as major marine casualties.

Methodology

VictimAid.com analyzed the Coast Guard’s Incident Investigation Reports export for investigations closed between 2025-11-10 and 2026-11-06, removing duplicate rows so each investigation is counted once. Most incidents (88%) occurred in 2025 or 2026, and a small number of older incidents appear because their investigations closed during the period. Vessel class comes from the Coast Guard’s record of each involved vessel. This dataset covers marine casualties investigated by the Coast Guard, mostly commercial and passenger vessels. Recreational boating accidents are reported separately and are not included here.

Sources

• U.S. Coast Guard, Marine Information for Safety and Law Enforcement (MISLE) Incident Investigation Reports, investigations closed November 10, 2025 to November 6, 2026, accessed November 2026.

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This page presents aggregated public data for research and informational purposes. It is not legal advice and does not describe any client matter or result. Figures reflect the source records as published by the agencies named above and may change as those agencies update their data.