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%).

Figure 1. Data table

Shipping accidents and accidents aboard ship, 2009 to 2019

Year	Shipping accidents	Accidents aboard ship
2009	301	57
2010	273	63
2011	254	41
2012	216	52
2013	238	61
2014	249	52
2015	213	35
2016	264	43
2017	233	46
2018	232	57
2019	207	60

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.

Figure 2. Data table

Marine fatalities and serious injuries, 2009 à 2019

Year	Fatalities	Serious injuries
2009	15	54
2010	18	75
2011	16	32
2012	14	48
2013	18	49
2014	12	46
2015	19	42
2016	7	48
2017	11	47
2018	22	61
2019	17	53

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.

Figure 3. Data table

Shipping accidents, by accident type, 2009–2018 average and 2019

Accident type	2009-2018 average	2019
Capsize	7	8
Collision	79	72
Fire/Explosion	39	32
Grounding	71	51
Sank	19	18
Unfit	30	26
Other	2	0

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.

Figure 4. Data table

Number vessels involved in shipping accidents by type of vessel, 2009–2018 average and 2019

Type of vessel	2009-2018 average	2019
Barge	19	18
Cargo - liquid	10	7
Cargo - solid	54	57
Ferry	18	17
Fishing	92	59
Passenger	15	21
Service ship	31	21
Tug	23	7
Other	19	23

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).

Figure 5. Data table

Shipping accidents by geographical region, 2009–2018 average and 2019

Region	2009-2018 average	2019
Pacific Region	98	79
Central Region	75	68
Atlantic Region	66	53
Foreign waters	9	7

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.)

Figure 6. Data table

Shipping accident rates for Canadian-flag commercial non-fishing vessels, 2009 to 2019

Year	Trip-based commercial accident rate (2009-2018)	Distance-based commercial accident rate (2015-2019)
2009	3.8
2010	3.3
2011	2.9
2012	2.4
2013	2.5
2014	3.7
2015	2.1	5.2
2016	2.4	7.1
2017	2.1	6.3
2018	2.0	6.4
2019		4.9

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.

Figure 7. Data table

Shipping accident rates for Canadian-flag fishing vessels, 2009 to 2019

Year	Fishing vessel accident rate	Sen's estimate of slope
2009	7.0	6.9
2010	7.5	6.7
2011	6.3	6.5
2012	5.3	6.3
2013	6.1	6.2
2014	6.4	6.0
2015	5.8	5.8
2016	6.5	5.6
2017	6.1	5.5
2018	5.0	5.3
2019	5.0	5.1

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).

Figure 8. Data table

Marine incidents by type, 2019

Marine incident type	Number	Percentage
Bottom contact	33	3%
Cargo shift/Cargo loss	3	0.3%
Person overboard	14	1%
Risk of collision (near collision)	54	6%
Risk of sinking	13	1%
Total failure of any machinery or technical system	798	84%
Other incident types	32	3%

Data tables

Table 1. Marine occurrences (types, vessels and losses involved), 2009-2019

	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Accidents	358	336	295	268	299	301	248	307	279	289	267
Shipping accidents by type	301	273	254	216	238	249	213	264	233	232	207
Capsize	9	8	2	6	8	3	10	7	5	10	8
Collision	81	64	87	78	79	88	57	89	89	82	72
Fire/Explosion	50	53	50	34	31	29	33	44	33	35	32
Grounding	110	102	73	69	62	61	59	65	52	58	51
Sank	20	20	10	10	14	26	16	26	22	26	18
Sustains damage render unseaworthy/Unfit for purpose	29	24	28	16	43	41	36	32	31	21	26
Other shipping accident types	2	2	4	3	1	1	2	1	1	0	0
Accidents aboard ship	57	63	41	52	61	52	35	43	46	57	60
Vessels involved in shipping accidents by type of vessel	337	295	294	241	275	281	240	310	268	267	230
Barge	28	17	20	6	19	12	10	24	20	29	18
Cargo - liquid	11	12	10	6	7	14	12	7	10	9	7
Cargo - solid	63	61	57	63	60	68	37	40	39	47	57
Ferry	26	19	23	18	13	20	18	20	12	10	17
Fishing	117	111	99	82	88	92	81	91	88	74	59
Passenger	17	14	16	15	15	13	17	15	15	15	21
Service ship	38	29	25	20	36	21	29	50	38	27	21
Tug	19	18	24	26	25	22	19	26	25	25	7
Other vessel types	18	14	20	5	12	19	17	37	21	31	23
Vessels involved in shipping accidents by vessel flag	337	295	294	241	275	281	240	310	268	267	230
Canadian non-fishing vessels	166	137	152	111	147	144	127	184	148	157	124
Canadian fishing vessels	114	109	95	78	86	92	80	90	84	69	57
Foreign vessels	57	49	47	52	42	45	33	36	36	41	49
Vessels lost by gross tonnage	26	27	22	23	20	20	23	17	12	14	8
1600 gross tons and over	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
150 to 1599 gross tons	0	0	0	1	1	1	2	1	0	0	0
60 to 149 gross tons	4	4	2	3	4	4	6	4	2	4	1
15 to 59 gross tons	6	10	9	8	6	4	6	2	2	2	1
Less than 15 gross tons	7	8	10	9	6	8	8	6	5	6	6
Unknown tonnage	6	5	1	2	3	3	1	4	3	1	0
Fatalities	15	18	16	14	18	12	19	7	11	22	17
Shipping accidents	7	11	3	5	10	4	13	6	4	14	4
Accidents aboard ship	8	7	13	9	8	8	6	1	7	8	13
Serious injuries	54	75	32	48	49	46	42	48	47	61	53
Shipping accidents	5	5	2	6	0	1	12	5	7	8	10
Accidents aboard ship	49	70	30	42	49	45	30	43	40	53	43
Occurrences with a dangerous good release*	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	7	7	8	2
Reportable incidents by type	249	224	216	270	734	747	707	768	885	931	947
Bottom contact	14	13	14	21	19	24	36	24	42	35	33
Cargo shift/Cargo loss	6	3	2	5	2	1	4	4	6	7	3
Person overboard	7	9	4	5	10	7	13	10	10	11	14
Risk of collision (near collision)	28	33	38	37	63	35	31	45	52	67	54
Risk of sinking	33	24	24	25	26	0	10	20	15	34	13
Total failure of any machinery or technical system**	150	135	120	156	603	676	589	637	719	732	798
Other incident types	11	7	14	21	11	4	24	28	41	45	32
Data extracted 19 February 2020 In November 2013, the Transportation Safety Board developed and deployed a new Marine Database. The new database significantly improves the TSB’s ability to collect, categorize and present statistics. In accordance with these changes the 2014 statistical summary onward will be presented in a slightly different format. New TSB regulations came into effect on July 1, 2014, changing some reporting requirements. * Under new reporting requirements the release of dangerous goods has been harmonized with Part 8 of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations. Detailed data was not collected prior to July 1, 2014. ** New regulations clarify the reporting requirements for a total failure of any machinery or technical system.

Table 2. Details of occurrences, losses and vessels involved by region, 2009-2019

	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Pacific region
Shipping accidents	106	87	88	76	88	95	90	138	111	101	79
Accidents aboard ship	22	15	11	18	21	23	13	19	8	12	15
Vessels involved in shipping accidents	120	94	103	87	107	108	106	164	130	119	90
Barge/Tug	26	19	25	18	28	23	23	39	34	37	16
Cargo / Tanker	13	5	5	12	8	15	6	14	9	8	13
Ferry/Passenger	15	8	13	10	10	10	15	17	12	13	16
Fishing	44	43	38	29	30	36	33	43	35	30	23
Other vessel types	22	19	22	18	31	24	29	51	40	31	22
Vessels lost	8	6	3	6	3	9	12	9	9	3	2
Fatalities	6	6	6	4	2	5	12	0	6	7	8
Reportable incidents	115	113	102	118	150	149	260	290	283	253	233
Central region
Shipping accidents	105	98	81	74	73	74	64	56	59	63	68
Accidents aboard ship	18	31	16	19	25	17	10	11	16	21	19
Vessels involved in shipping accidents	119	106	95	79	85	85	71	65	66	71	75
Barge/Tug	17	11	12	9	14	8	6	9	7	8	7
Cargo / Tanker	52	55	46	46	40	55	35	24	26	35	38
Ferry/Passenger	11	18	14	14	13	14	13	9	11	10	17
Fishing	17	10	11	6	7	3	6	5	14	8	1
Other vessel types	22	12	12	4	11	5	11	18	8	10	12
Vessels lost	5	2	2	1	4	2	2	1	0	2	0
Fatalities	3	3	1	3	5	2	2	0	3	1	3
Reportable incidents	82	67	74	107	149	137	116	126	203	274	284
Atlantic region
Shipping accidents	86	79	78	56	62	72	54	63	57	53	53
Accidents aboard ship	16	13	14	14	12	12	12	13	18	22	22
Vessels involved in shipping accidents	94	85	88	64	67	80	57	72	64	61	58
Barge/Tug	4	4	6	5	2	3	0	1	1	5	2
Cargo / Tanker	6	5	11	3	6	6	2	3	11	4	6
Ferry/Passenger	17	7	12	9	4	9	7	9	4	2	5
Fishing	56	58	50	45	49	52	42	43	38	34	35
Other vessel types	11	11	9	2	6	10	6	16	10	16	10
Vessels lost	12	18	17	15	12	9	9	7	3	9	6
Fatalities	6	8	9	6	11	5	5	7	2	13	6
Reportable incidents	44	38	36	40	429	450	319	338	385	392	412
Foreign waters
Shipping accidents	4	9	7	10	15	8	5	7	6	15	7
Accidents aboard ship	1	4	0	1	3	0	0	0	4	2	4
Vessels involved in shipping accidents	4	10	8	11	16	8	6	9	8	16	7
Barge/Tug	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	4	0
Cargo / Tanker	3	8	5	8	13	6	6	6	3	9	7
Ferry/Passenger	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Fishing	0	0	0	2	2	1	0	0	1	2	0
Other vessel types	1	1	2	1	0	1	0	2	1	1	0
Vessels lost	1	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Fatalities	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Reportable incidents	8	6	4	5	6	11	12	14	14	12	18
Total incidents	249	224	216	270	734	747	707	768	885	931	947
Data extracted 19 February 2020 In November 2013, the Transportation Safety Board developed and deployed a new Marine Database. The new database significantly improves the TSB’s ability to collect, categorize and present statistics. In accordance with these changes the 2014 statistical summary onward will be presented in a slightly different format. New TSB regulations came into effect on July 1, 2014, changing some reporting requirements.

Table 3. Canadian-flag vessels involved in shipping accidents by vessel category and type of accident, 2009-2019

	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Canadian-flag vessels involved	280	246	246	189	230	225	192	242	210	194	163
Commercial vessels	113	98	109	88	101	107	83	100	90	100	80
Capsize	4	5	1	2	0	0	3	2	1	2	1
Collision	41	34	55	45	45	53	34	48	44	49	41
Fire/Explosion	12	13	18	9	12	12	11	14	7	14	13
Grounding	34	31	17	22	28	16	14	21	19	16	13
Sank	12	5	3	1	3	6	10	5	5	5	3
Sustains damage render unseaworthy/Unfit for purpose	10	10	15	9	13	20	11	10	14	14	9
Other shipping accident types	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Commercial movements (a)	24.871	25.539	28.269	28.800	29.000	23.185	30.956	35.478	38.366	43,353	n/a
Commercial accident rate (b)	3.8	3.3	2.9	2.4	2.5	3.7	2.1	2.4	2.1	2.0	n/a
Commercial vessel-km (thousands) (c)	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	12.403	11.955	12.905	13.569	14.185
Commercial accidents per million vessel-kms (d)	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	5.2	7.1	6.3	6.4	4.9
Fishing vessels	114	109	95	78	86	91	78	88	80	67	57
Capsize	3	1	1	3	6	1	5	3	2	4	1
Collision	14	10	16	12	12	15	4	12	19	12	7
Fire/Explosion	27	28	24	19	12	9	14	16	15	6	10
Grounding	56	50	43	33	30	32	33	31	27	33	26
Sank	6	14	6	9	9	19	9	16	8	8	7
Sustains damage render unseaworthy/Unfit for purpose	7	4	1	0	16	14	11	9	8	4	6
Other shipping accident types	1	2	4	2	1	1	2	1	1	0	0
Active fishing vessels (e)	15.050	14.167	14.217	13.871	13.719	13.623	13.242	13.478	13.196	13.114	12.102
Fishing vessel accident rate (f)	7.0	7.5	6.3	5.3	6.1	6.4	5.8	6.5	6.1	5.0	5.0
Other vessels	53	39	42	23	43	27	31	54	40	27	26
Capsize	2	2	0	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1
Collision	25	20	24	10	24	14	15	25	24	14	12
Fire/Explosion	7	6	6	4	3	7	3	14	4	10	2
Grounding	15	8	7	5	10	3	8	7	2	1	3
Sank	2	1	1	0	2	1	0	3	6	1	5
Sustains damage render unseaworthy/Unfit for purpose	1	2	4	3	3	2	4	4	3	0	3
Other shipping accident types	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Data extracted 19 February 2020 Vessel movement data from Transport Canada (TC). The commercial accident rate is the number of shipping accidents involving Canadian-flag commercial vessels of 15 gross tons or more (excluding passenger vessels and fishing vessels) per 1 000 vessel movements (to 2018). Based on data from TC, who has updated its methodology for measuring commercial activity. Beginning from 2015, TC combines terrestrial automatic identification system (AIS) data from the Canadian Coast Guard and satellite AIS data from the Government of Canada Satellite AIS provider to calculate a distance-based metric of Canadian-flag commercial marine activity in Canadian waters. Vessel movements are no longer captured. The commercial accident rate is the number of shipping accidents involving Canadian-flag commercial vessels of 15 gross tons or more (excluding passenger vessels and fishing vessels) per million vessel-kilometres. Commercial fishing vessels landing a catch (Source: DFO). The fishing vessel accident rate is the number of shipping accidents involving Canadian-flag commercial fishing vessels of 15 gross tons or more per 1 000 active fishing vessels.

Table 4. Foreign-flag vessels involved in shipping accidents by vessel category and type of accident, 2009-2019

	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Foreign-flag vessels involved	57	49	47	52	42	45	33	36	36	41	49
Commercial vessels	51	43	40	46	38	41	30	32	31	31	45
Capsize	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Collision	26	17	23	28	19	29	11	17	19	23	25
Fire/Explosion	3	5	3	3	5	0	5	0	3	3	6
Grounding	8	13	6	10	2	7	4	8	3	2	6
Sank	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0
Sustains damage render unseaworthy/Unfit for purpose	14	8	8	5	11	5	10	6	6	3	8
Other shipping accident types	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Commercial movements (a)	23.720	26.029	25.669	26.300	26.600	17.635	18.940	21.657	24.728	27.787	na
Commercial accident rate (b)	1.9	1.5	1.4	1.6	1.4	2.4	1.4	1.3	1.4	1.1	na
commercial vessel-km (thousands) (c)	na	na	na	na	na	na	19.151	16.814	19.554	20.766	20.465
accidents per million vessel-kms (d)	na	na	na	na	na	na	1.4	1.7	1.8	1.4	2.0
Fishing vessels	3	2	4	4	2	0	1	1	4	5	2
Capsize	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Collision	0	0	1	2	2	0	0	0	2	1	0
Fire/Explosion	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1
Grounding	3	2	3	1	0	0	1	1	1	2	1
Sank	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Sustains damage render unseaworthy/Unfit for purpose	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other shipping accident types	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other vessels	3	4	3	2	2	4	2	3	1	5	2
Capsize	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	0
Collision	2	3	3	1	2	1	1	2	0	2	2
Fire/Explosion	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0
Grounding	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	1	0	0	0
Sank	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sustains damage render unseaworthy/Unfit for purpose	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Other shipping accident types	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Data extracted 19 February 2020 Vessel movement data from Transport Canada (TC). The commercial accident rate is the number of shipping accidents involving foreign-flag commercial vessels of 15 gross tons or more (excluding passenger vessels and fishing vessels) per 1 000 vessel movements (to 2018). Based on data from TC, who has updated its methodology for measuring commercial activity. Beginning from 2015, TC combines terrestrial automatic identification system (AIS) data from the Canadian Coast Guard and satellite AIS data from the Government of Canada Satellite AIS provider to calculate a distance-based metric of foreign-flag commercial marine activity in Canadian waters. Vessel movements are no longer captured. The commercial accident rate is the number of shipping accidents involving foreign-flag commercial vessels of 15 gross tons or more (excluding passenger vessels and fishing vessels) per million vessel-kilometres.

Table 5. Vessels lost by vessel category and age, 2009-2019

	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
All vessels	26	27	22	23	20	20	23	17	12	14	8
0-4 years	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
5-9 years	2	5	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0
10-14 years	4	1	1	2	3	0	2	0	0	2	0
15-19 years	0	2	3	5	2	2	1	3	1	1	1
20-24 years	4	6	4	3	2	1	1	0	0	1	1
25-29 years	2	2	4	3	2	5	5	1	0	3	0
30+ years	7	4	7	5	5	4	10	5	6	3	1
Unknown	7	6	2	3	5	8	3	8	5	3	4
Commercial vessels	9	1	1	1	1	2	8	4	2	3	0
0-4 years	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5-9 years	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
10-14 years	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15-19 years	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
20-24 years	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
25-29 years	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0
30+ years	4	0	1	1	1	1	4	2	1	1	0
Unknown	4	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	0
Fishing vessels	14	23	21	22	17	17	15	12	7	11	5
0-4 years	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
5-9 years	2	5	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
10-14 years	3	1	1	2	3	0	2	0	0	2	0
15-19 years	0	2	3	5	2	2	1	2	1	1	1
20-24 years	4	6	4	3	2	1	0	0	0	1	1
25-29 years	2	1	4	3	2	4	3	1	0	3	0
30+ years	3	4	6	4	2	3	6	3	5	2	0
Unknown	0	3	2	3	5	7	2	6	1	2	3
Other vessels	3	3	0	0	2	1	0	1	3	0	3
0-4 years	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
5-9 years	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10-14 years	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15-19 years	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
20-24 years	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
25-29 years	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
30+ years	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1
Unknown	3	2	0	0	0	1	0	1	3	0	1
Data extracted 19 February 2020

Table 6. Accidents, fatalities and serious injuries by accidents type, 2009-2019

	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Shipping accidents with fatalities or serious injuries	9	7	4	7	4	4	7	5	8	12	7
Capsize	1	1	0	3	2	0	2	1	1	5	2
Collision	4	3	1	1	0	1	2	2	4	1	1
Fire/Explosion	0	0	2	3	1	0	1	1	1	1	1
Grounding	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	3	1
Sank	3	1	0	0	0	3	1	1	2	2	2
Sustains damage render unseaworthy/Unfit for purpose	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other shipping accident types	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Shipping accidents fatalities (a)	7	11	3	5	10	4	13	6	4	14	4
Capsize	2	4	0	3	6	0	9	2	1	7	3
Collision	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	2	0
Fire/Explosion	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Grounding	1	0	1	0	3	0	0	0	0	1	0
Sank	4	1	0	0	0	4	3	4	3	4	1
Sustains damage render unseaworthy/Unfit for purpose	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other shipping accident types	0	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Shipping accidents serious injuries	5	5	2	6	0	1	12	5	7	8	10
Capsize	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Collision	5	5	1	0	0	1	9	4	6	0	4
Fire/Explosion	0	0	1	3	0	0	1	1	1	5	1
Grounding	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	2	4
Sank	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Sustains damage render unseaworthy/Unfit for purpose	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other shipping accident types	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Accidents aboard ship	57	63	41	52	61	52	35	43	46	57	60
Accidents aboard ship fatalities (a)	8	7	13	9	8	8	6	1	7	8	13
Boarding, being on board, falling overboard from the ship	6	4	13	3	3	5	6	0	5	5	12
In contact with any part of the ship or its contents	2	3	0	6	5	3	0	1	2	3	1
Accidents aboard ship serious injuries	49	70	30	42	49	45	30	43	40	53	43
Boarding, being on board, falling overboard from the ship	4	2	3	2	6	10	5	4	6	7	2
In contact with any part of the ship or its contents	45	68	27	40	43	35	25	39	34	46	41
Data extracted 19 February 2020 Fatalities includes missing persons.

Table 7. Vessels, fatalities and serious injuries by vessel type, 2009-2019

	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Vessels involved in shipping accidents with fatalities or serious injuries	9	7	4	7	4	4	7	5	8	12	7
Barge/Tug	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Cargo	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	0
Ferry/Passenger	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	2	2	1	0
Fishing	5	4	3	4	4	3	3	2	3	8	2
Other	3	2	1	1	0	0	2	1	2	1	5
Shipping accident fatalities (a)	7	11	3	5	10	4	13	6	4	14	4
Barge/Tug	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cargo	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Ferry/Passenger	0	4	0	0	0	0	6	0	2	1	0
Fishing	7	7	2	2	10	2	6	6	1	13	0
Other	0	0	1	2	0	0	1	0	1	0	4
Shipping accident serious injuries	5	5	2	6	0	1	12	5	7	8	10
Barge/Tug	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Cargo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	0
Ferry/Passenger	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	2	0	0
Fishing	0	1	1	3	0	1	1	0	3	1	2
Other	4	4	1	2	0	0	9	1	1	1	8
Vessels involved in accidents aboard ship	58	64	41	53	61	52	35	43	46	58	60
Barge/Tug	6	5	4	1	3	4	0	4	2	3	5
Cargo	16	22	13	23	17	21	5	12	18	22	23
Ferry/Passenger	8	8	6	3	7	5	8	5	5	8	7
Fishing	20	17	17	21	25	18	21	18	15	21	22
Other	8	12	1	5	9	4	1	4	6	4	3
Accident aboard ship fatalities (a)	8	7	13	9	8	8	6	1	7	8	12
Barge/Tug	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cargo	0	1	1	2	2	1	0	0	2	2	2
Ferry/Passenger	1	2	1	1	0	0	1	0	2	0	1
Fishing	4	4	10	6	5	6	5	0	2	4	8
Other	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	2	1
Accident aboard ship serious injuries	49	70	30	42	49	42	30	42	40	53	43
Barge/Tug	4	5	3	0	2	4	0	4	3	2	4
Cargo	16	36	12	21	12	18	5	12	15	21	15
Ferry/Passenger	6	5	6	2	7	5	7	5	4	10	6
Fishing	16	13	8	15	19	12	17	18	13	17	17
Other	7	11	1	4	9	3	1	3	5	3	1
Data extracted 19 February 2020 Fatalities includes missing persons.

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

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.

Footnotes

Footnote 1

See the Definitions section.

Return to footnote 1 referrer

Footnote 2

See the Definitions section.

Return to footnote 2 referrer

Footnote 3

Transport Canada has updated its methodology for measuring commercial activity. Beginning from 2015, TC combines terrestrial automatic identification system (AIS) data from the Canadian Coast Guard and satellite AIS data from the Government of Canada Satellite AIS provider, to yield a comprehensive and detailed distance-based metric of commercial marine activity in Canadian waters. However, vessel movements are no longer captured.

Return to footnote 3 referrer

Footnote 4

The 2014 changes in reporting requirements applied to those involving a total failure of any machinery or technical system, leading to an increase in incidents of this category since then.

Return to footnote 4 referrer

Footnote 5

The 2014 changes in reporting requirements applied to those involving a total failure of any machinery or technical system, leading to an increase in incidents of this category since then.

Return to footnote 5 referrer