The Deep Draft

Five hundred miles from shore, alarms sound. A crew scrambles through narrow passageways as smoke rises from a device no bigger than a pen. At sea, where help is days away, even the smallest spark can turn into disaster.

This isn’t a hypothetical scenario; it’s a growing reality aboard ships. E-cigarettes, or vapes, have spread rapidly among seafarers, often seen as a cleaner, more convenient alternative to smoking. But in the maritime world, one of the most unforgiving workplaces anywhere, the e-cigarettes introduce dangers that can no longer be ignored.

Vaping at Sea: Rising Use and Misconceptions

Vaping is marketed as safer than smoking. Many crew members adopt it to avoid the smell of tobacco, bypass designated smoking areas, or as a supposedly healthier alternative. Among younger seafarers, especially Gen Z, vaping is also seen as a lifestyle choice, a way to look modern or “cool.” But this sense of safety and status is misleading, especially offshore.

From a health standpoint, evidence is mounting fast. Johns Hopkins University (2025) linked exclusive e-cigarette use to higher risks of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, a progressive lung disease that makes breathing difficult) and elevated blood pressure. A 2019 European Heart Journal trial showed that even short-term vaping impairs vascular function. And a 2023 review in Frontiers in Public Health documented immediate effects: elevated heart rate, increased breathing frequency, and reduced oxygen saturation after only 20 minutes of use.

The risks don’t stop with users. Second-hand vapor, when released in confined ship compartments, exposes non-users. One Indoor Air study (2020) found vaping indoors significantly raises levels of fine particles, nicotine, aldehydes, and heavy metals, sometimes at levels comparable to cigarettes. On land this is worrying; at sea, in sealed cabins and lounges, it becomes a health risk for the entire crew.

Most seafarers already comply with smoking policies and use designated smoking areas. The problem with vaping is that it is often used discreetly outside those areas, bypassing established safeguards and spreading exposure where it cannot be controlled.

Worse still, black-market vape liquids have been found laced with dangerous additives such as etomidate, a potent anesthetic with potentially lethal consequences (Reuters, 2023).

The Fire Hazard Few Acknowledge

Health risks are serious, but at sea there is one danger that overshadows all others: fire. Like many other modern devices, e-cigarettes rely on lithium-ion batteries. While safe under proper handling, these small cells can overheat or ignite when damaged or overcharged. The risk amplifies in unmonitored spaces. Between 2015 and 2016, the U.S. Navy documented 15 cases of e-cigarette battery malfunctions aboard ships, submarines, and aircraft (WKAR News, 2017).

On land, such incidents are dangerous. At sea, they can be catastrophic, where emergency response is constrained and every minute counts. One exploding battery doesn’t just injure a crew member; it can endanger the vessel itself.

Why Ban E-Cigarettes if Cigarettes Are Still Allowed?

It’s a fair question: if conventional cigarettes are permitted, why not e-cigarettes? The answer is not that cigarettes are safe, they are undeniably harmful and a leading cause of preventable disease worldwide. The difference lies in three critical factors:

• Unpredictable Health Risks: Cigarettes harms are well documented; e-cigarettes introduce evolving, poorly understood risks.
• Device Hazards: Lithium-ion battery explosions are not an issue with tobacco.
• Environmental Concerns: Disposable vapes generate plastic and chemical waste, complicating onboard disposal.

Traditional smoking is already managed through designated areas and long-standing fire-control protocols. Vaping, however, bypasses these safeguards and introduces risks that cannot be contained.

Many shipping companies have amended their smoking policies to include e-cigarettes, treating them as tobacco. While this seems progressive, it misses the point: e-cigarettes carry unique hazards. Grouping them together under one policy underestimates the scale of the threat.

Governments Are Already Cracking Down

Globally, regulators are sending a clear signal: vaping is not a lifestyle choice but a serious safety and health issue.

• Singapore: E-cigarettes are fully banned; possession or use carries fines up to S$2,000, while importers and sellers face penalties of up to S$20,000 and 12 months’ jail—and from September 2025, drug-laced vapes fall under the Misuse of Drugs Act, with punishments as severe as 20 years’ imprisonment and caning.
• India: Nationwide ban since 2019. First offenses carry up to 1 year in prison and a fine of ₹1 lakh (~$1,400). Repeat offenses rise to 3 years and ₹5 lakh (~$7,000) (Global News, 2019).
• Vietnam: Tourists caught with e-cigarettes can be fined up to $78, while traffickers face up to 15 years in prison (SCMP, 2023).
• Australia: Nicotine vapes require a prescription. Violations may lead to multi-million-dollar fines or up to 7 years’ imprisonment (Australian Dept. of Health, 2024).
• Thailand & Mauritius: Strict bans, with penalties including fines up to $900 and custodial sentences of up to 10 years (ECigator, 2023).

For ships, this is not just a legal footnote. During customs inspections, undeclared or prohibited vapes can trigger fines, detentions, and reputational damage. A single undeclared device can delay a vessel, strain charterer relations, and even complicate insurance claims.

The Path Forward for Shipping Companies

Given these risks, the shipping industry cannot afford inaction. Companies should-

1. Implement a Comprehensive Ban: Prohibit e-cigarettes across all vessels, aligning with international regulations.
2. Educate Crew Members: Training should cover not only health and fire hazards but also the serious legal risks at customs checkpoints.
3. Enforce Policies Rigorously: Treat violations as safety breaches, with clear consequences.
4. Provide Safer Alternatives: Offer nicotine replacement therapies, onboard wellness programs, or stress-management resources to support quitting.

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Conclusion: Prevention Must Come Before Reaction

Shipping is an industry where safety margins are razor thin. Fires spread faster, help is further away, and mistakes are costlier than on land.

Neither cigarettes nor e-cigarettes belong on ships in the long run. Both harm health, but only one e-cigarettes adds explosive batteries, unknown chemicals, and international legal complications to the mix.

The combination of health dangers, fire hazards, environmental waste, and severe global penalties forms an undeniable case for decisive action. If governments worldwide treat vaping as a security and health threat, why should ships, arguably the most vulnerable workplaces on Earth, be any different?

The verdict is clear. E-cigarettes are one risk ships can no longer afford. A full ban is not just advisable…… it is essential.

References

• Johns Hopkins Medicine (2025) – Exclusive e-cigarette use linked to COPD and blood pressure risks.
• European Heart Journal (2019) – Short-term e-cigarette exposure impairs vascular function.
• Frontiers in Public Health (2023) – Immediate cardiovascular and respiratory effects of vaping.
• Indoor Air (2020) – Indoor vaping increases particles, nicotine, aldehydes, and metals.
• U.S. Navy (2017) – 15 e-cigarette battery malfunctions on ships, submarines, aircraft.
• Reuters (2023) – Singapore: etomidate-laced pods, severe penalties.
• MOH Singapore (2023) – Updated fines and jail terms for vaping offenses.
• Global News (2019) – India: nationwide ban on e-cigarettes.
• SCMP (2023) – Vietnam: fines and prison for vaping.
• Australian Dept. of Health (2024) – Prescription-only nicotine vapes.
• ECigator (2023) – Thailand and Mauritius bans with fines and jail.