Fishing vessel safety depends on many different aspects, such as the design, construction, stability, machinery, fire safety, measures available to protect crew, lifesavings appliances, emergency procedures, radio communications equipment and navigational equipment. The condition of the vessel and how and where it is used, by a skilled or less experienced captain and crew, are equally important. 

Minimum global standards for the design, construction, equipment and inspections of large fishing vessels of 24 metres in length and above are set by the IMO Cape Town Agreement on the Implementation of the Provisions of the 1993 Protocol relating to the 1977 International Convention for the Safety of Fishing Vessels, 2012 (CTA). The CTA mirrors the provisions of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), which covers uniquely the merchant shipping sector.

Detailed information on the CTA can be found here:

• Consolidated text of the IMO Cape Town Agreement
• The Cape Town Agreement explained

FAO, IMO and ILO have together developed a range of useful tools, including various safety codes, safety recommendations, and technical and implementation guidelines that give practical guidance to everyone concerned with fishing vessel safety and fisher safety.

More information is available in the section Guidelines and Codes in this Web site.