Marine transportation occurrences in 2019

The TSB gathers and uses transportation occurrence data during the course of its investigations to analyze safety deficiencies and identify risks in the Canadian marine transportation system.

It should be noted that certain characteristics of the data constrain statistical analysis and identification of emerging trends. These include the small totals of accidents and incidents, the large variability in the data from year to year, and changes to regulations and definitions. The reader is cautioned to keep these limitations in mind when viewing this summary to avoid drawing conclusions that cannot be supported by statistical analysis.

The 2019 data were collected according to the reporting requirements described in the TSB Regulations in force during that calendar year.

The statistics presented here reflect the TSB Marine Safety Information System (MARSIS) database at 19 February 2020. Since the occurrence data are constantly being updated in the live database, the statistics may change slightly over time.

Also, as many occurrences are not formally investigated, information recorded on some occurrences may not have been verified.

Accidents

Overview of accidents and casualties

In 2019, 267 marine accidents^{Footnote 1} were reported to the TSB, down from the 2018 total of 289 and below the 10-year (2009–2018) average of 298 (Figure 1). In 2019 the proportion of shipping accidents (as opposed to accidents aboard ship) was 78% of marine accidents, below the previous 10-year average of 83%.

There were 207 shipping accidents in 2019, down from the 2018 total of 232 and down 16% from the 2009–2018 average of 247.  The majority of shipping accidents involved fishing vessels (29%), followed by solid-cargo vessels (27%).

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In 2019, there were 60 accidents aboard ship, up from 57 in 2018 and up from the 2009–2018 average of 51. The majority of accidents aboard ship occurred on cargo vessels (38%) and fishing vessels (37%) .

Casualties (tables 1, 6 and 7)

In 2019, 17 marine fatalities were reported, down from the 22 fatalities reported in 2018, but above the annual average of 15.2 in the 2009–2018 time period. Of these 17 fatalities, 4 were the result of 3 shipping accidents, while the remaining 13 fatalities resulted from 10 accidents aboard ship (Figure 2).

Of note, none of the 4 shipping accident fatalities in 2019 involved a commercial fishing vessel, although 8 of the 13 fatalities that ensued from accidents aboard ship did occur aboard commercial fishing vessels. The total of 8 fishing vessel fatalities in 2019 was below the annual average of 10.2 in the 2009–2018 time period.

However, 3 additional fishing-related fatalities resulted from two shipping accidents, and 1 additional fishing-related fatality resulted from an accident aboard ship (the 3 accidents involved vessels that were not commercial fishing vessels). Therefore, 12 of the 17 marine fatalities in 2019 were fishing-related. The data indicate that more needs to be done to improve safety in the commercial fishing industry.

Serious injuries in 2019 totalled 53, down from 61 in 2018 and similar to the annual average of 50 from 2009 to 2018. Forty-three of the 53 serious injuries (81%) resulted from accidents aboard ship, and the remaining 10 resulted from shipping accidents.

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Shipping accidents

Type of accident (Table 1)

As illustrated in Figure 3, the most frequent types of shipping accidents in 2019 were collision (35%), grounding (25%), and fire/explosion (15%). The total number of collisions (72) was 9% less than the 10-year (2009–2018) average of 79, the number of groundings (51) was 28% below the 10-year average of 71, and the number of fire/explosion accidents (32) was 18% below the 10-year average of 39.

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Type of vessel (Table 1)

Fifty-nine fishing vessels were involved in shipping accidents, down from 74 in 2018, and down from the 2009–2018 average of 92 (Figure 4).  Fishing vessels represented slightly over one-quarter (26%) of all vessels involved in shipping accidents.

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Geographical region (Table 2)

In 2019, 38% of shipping accidents occurred in the Pacific region, 33% in the Central region, and 26% in the Atlantic region. The remaining 3% of shipping accidents were in foreign waters.^{Footnote 2} In the Pacific region in 2019, shipping accidents were 19% below the 2009–2018 average, in the Central region shipping accidents were 9% below the 2009–2018 average, and in the Atlantic region shipping accidents were 20% below the 2009–2018 average (Figure 5).

Thirty-five fishing vessels were involved in shipping accidents in the Atlantic region, which is below the 2009–2018 average of 47 fishing vessels. Twenty-three fishing vessels were involved in shipping accidents in the Pacific region, below the 2009–2018 average of 36 fishing vessels (Table 2).

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Vessel flag (tables 1, 3, and 4)

In 2019, 79% of the 230 vessels involved in shipping accidents reported to the TSB were Canadian-flag vessels. Of these Canadian-flag vessels, 49% were commercial non-fishing vessels and 35% were fishing vessels; the remaining 16% were non-commercial vessels, pleasure craft or service vessels.

According to information provided by Transport Canada, marine activity for Canadian commercial non-fishing vessels over 15 gross tons (GT) (excluding passenger vessels and cruise ships) was 14 185 thousand commercial vessel-km in 2019, which is 12% above the 2015–2018 average.^{Footnote 3} This yields a rate of 4.9 shipping accidents per million commercial vessel-km in 2019, lower than the prior 4-year average of 6.3. (Note that a 5-year series is too short to test for trends.)

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According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), there were an estimated 12 102 active fishing vessels in Canada in 2019. The shipping accident rate for Canadian fishing vessels (Figure 7) was 5.0 shipping accidents per 1000 active fishing vessels in 2019, which is essentially unchanged from 2018.  The 2019 rate is 20% below the prior 10-year average.

Kendall’s tau-b correlation and Sen’s estimate of slope were used to quantify the trend in the fishing vessel accident rate shown in Figure 7. Kendall's tau-b (τb) correlation coefficient is a nonparametric measure of the strength and direction of association that exists between two variables. Kendall’s τb was calculated on the 11-year series of accident rate values by year from 2009 to 2019. There was a moderately strong, negative correlation that indicates a downward trend in the Canadian fishing vessel shipping accident rate over the period (τb = 0.491, p = 0.036). Sen’s estimate of slope, the amount of downward rate change per year, was −0.175 accidents per thousand Canadian-flag fishing vessels.

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For Canadian-flag fishing vessels, the most frequently reported shipping accident types in 2019 were groundings (46%), fire/explosions (18%), collisions (12%), and sinkings (12%). Canadian-flag commercial non-fishing vessels were most often involved in collisions (51%), fire/explosion accidents (16%), or groundings (16%).

In 2019, 49 foreign-flag vessels were involved in shipping accidents in Canadian waters, 45 of which were commercial non-fishing vessels. According to information provided by Transport Canada, marine activity for foreign commercial non-fishing vessels was 20 465 commercial vessel-km in 2019, above the 2015–2018 average of 19 071 thousand vessel-km. This yields an accident rate of 2.0 commercial foreign-flag vessels involved in shipping accidents per million commercial vessel-km, above the 2015-2018 average of 1.6 (data not shown).

Vessels lost (tables 1 and 5)

In 2019, 8 vessels were reported lost, down from 14 in 2018 and down from the 2009–2018 average of 20. Five of the 8 vessels lost in 2019 were fishing vessels. Six of the 8 vessels lost were less than 15 GT. In the past 10 years (2010 to 2019), fishing vessels under 60 GT have accounted for more than two thirds of Canadian vessels lost (tables 1 and 5).

Incidents

Overview of incidents

In 2019, 947 marine incidents were reported to the TSB, comparable to the total of 931 in 2018, and above the annual 10-year (2009–2018) average of 573. Incidents in the Atlantic region represented 44% of all marine incidents, followed by 30% in the Central region, and 25% in the Pacific region. The remaining 2% of reported incidents occurred in foreign waters (Table 2).^{Footnote 4}

The majority (84%) of reportable incidents involved the total failure of any machinery or technical system (Figure 8).^{Footnote 5} The largest proportion of these incidents (47%) occurred in the Atlantic region, while the greatest proportion of incidents involving risk of collision (45%) occurred in the Central region (data not shown). The types of vessel most often involved in total failure of any machinery or technical systems incidents in 2019 were fishing vessels (54%) and solid-cargo vessels (23%) (data not shown).

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Data tables

Definitions

The following definitions apply to marine occurrences that are required to be reported pursuant to the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act and the TSB Regulations.

Marine occurrence

• any accident or incident associated with the operation of a ship and
• any situation or condition that the Board has reasonable grounds to believe could, if left unattended, induce an accident or incident described above.

Marine accident

An accident resulting directly from the operation of a ship other than a pleasure craft, where

Accident aboard ship

• a person is killed or sustains a serious injury as a result of
  • boarding, being on board or falling overboard from the ship, or
  • coming into direct contact with any part of the ship or its contents;

Shipping accident

• the ship
  • sinks, founders or capsizes,
  • is involved in a collision (includes strikings and contacts)
  • sustains a fire or an explosion,
  • goes aground,
  • sustains damage that affects its seaworthiness or renders it unfit for its purpose,
  • is missing or abandoned

Marine incident

• a person falls overboard from the ship, or
• the ship
  • makes unforeseen contact with the bottom without going aground,
  • fouls a utility cable or pipe, or an underwater pipeline,
  • is involved in a risk of a collision,
  • sustains a total failure of
    • the navigation equipment if the failure poses a threat to the safety of any person, property or the environment,
    • the main or auxiliary machinery, or
    • the propulsion, steering, or deck machinery if the failure poses a threat to the safety of any person, property or the environment;
• all or part of the ship's cargo shifts or falls overboard; or
• is anchored, grounded or beached to avoid an occurrence,
• a crew member whose duties are directly related to the safe operation of the ship is unable to perform their duties as a result of a physical incapacitation which poses a threat to the safety of persons, property or the environment;
• there is an accidental release on board or from the ship consisting of a quantity of dangerous goods or an emission of radiation that is greater than the quantity or emission levels specified in Part 8 of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations.

Serious injury

1. a fracture of any bone, except simple fractures of fingers, toes or the nose,
2. lacerations that cause severe hemorrhage or nerve, muscle or tendon damage,
3. an injury to an internal organ,
4. second or third degree burns, or any burns affecting more than 5% of the body surface,
5. a verified exposure to infectious substances or injurious radiation, or
6. an injury that is likely to require hospitalization.

Vessels covered

This report covers commercial vessels that include all vessels either registered or licensed to operate commercially. Pleasure craft occurrences are not normally included unless they also involved a commercial vessel.

Vessel categories

• Commercial Vessels: include cargo vessels, ferries, passenger vessels, tugs and barges.
• Fishing Vessels: include vessels involved in commercial fishing.
• Other Vessels: include research vessels, oil exploration, exploitation and support vessels, government vessels and pleasure craft.

Miscellaneous

Gross tons (grt)

A measure of vessel capacity in cubic feet of the spaces within the hull, and of enclosed spaces above deck available for cargo, stores, fuel, passengers and crew, with certain exclusions. One hundred cubic feet is equivalent to one gross ton.

Movement

A vessel's travel segment between ports with at least one port being a domestic port.

Regional limits

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Pacific Region's area of responsibility consists of the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories south of the 70th parallel, as well as the waters adjacent to these provinces and territories.

Central Region's area of responsibility consists of the provinces of Ontario and Quebec (including the Magdalen Islands), the territory of Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories north of the 70th parallel, as well as James Bay, Hudson Bay, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the Great Lakes waterways up to the Canada–U.S. border.

Atlantic Region's area of responsibility consists of the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as the waters adjacent to these provinces.