The International Maritime Organization (IMO) introduces, adopts, and implements new instruments, such
as conventions, resolutions, and guidelines, to prevent and minimize the number and severity of accidents
involving ships at sea. The results of international maritime safety requirements introduced in recent years are
presented in this paper. The impact of these regulations on ship safety improvement in European marine waters
was determined via an analysis of accidents over a seven-year period of 2014–2020. The analysis was based
on the classification of accidents by their severity, by the type of ship involved, and by the identified causes or
contributing factors. Evident, still existing “weak points” of maritime safety monitoring are emphasized, such
as low reporting of incidents and superficial identification of contributing factors. It is worth noting that the
technological development of marine electronic systems introduced both positive effects and novel threats to
the safety of navigation. An example is an uncritical overreliance on technology and information provided via
electronic means and sensors. In this context the usage of integrated, digitized bridge systems in contemporary
maritime vessels and future remote control systems was stressed.