Report a marine occurrence

How to make a report

Commercial marine occurrences may be reported 24 hours per day, 7 days per week to an on-duty standby investigator by calling (collect) 613-720-5540.

In addition to initial reporting requirements, the master of a ship involved in a reportable marine accident or incident shall, in a form approved by the Board (below), submit to the Board within 30 days after the accident or incident all information required. You can report a marine occurrence by completing the Form "Report of a Marine Occurrence / Hazardous Occurrence Report" (Form 1808) in one of the following formats:

• PDF (42 KB)
• RTF - the file needs to be saved first
• DOC (Word)

Form 1808 can be either mailed or e-mailed to one of the addresses listed in the shaded portion of the form.

Should an occurrence be less serious in nature, an e-mail report may be made to Marine.investigations@bst-tsb.gc.ca, or faxed to 613-953-1583.

Pleasure craft occurrences should be reported to the local police authorities.

Requirement to Report—Extracts from TSB Regulations Sections 6(1), 3(2) and 3(6)

When a reportable marine accident or incident takes place, the owner, operator, charterer, master, pilot and any crew member of the ship shall report to the Board as soon as possible and by the quickest means available.

A report made to a radio ship reporting station shall be considered to have been made to the Board.

Where any person mentioned above makes a report, no other person referred to is required to make such a report.

What is a reportable accident—TSB Regulations Section 2(1)

A "reportable marine accident" means an accident resulting directly from the operation of a other than a pleasure craft, where

1. a person sustains a serious injury or is killed as a result of
   1. being on board the ship or falling overboard from the ship, or
   2. coming into contact with any part of the ship or its contents, or
2. the ship
   1. sinks, founders or capsizes,
   2. is involved in a collision,
   3. sustains a fire or an explosion,
   4. goes aground,
   5. sustains damage that affects its seaworthiness or renders it unfit for its purpose, or
   6. is missing or abandoned.

What is a reportable incident—TSB Regulations Section 2(1) Sections 6(2) and 6(3)

A "reportable marine incident" means an incident resulting directly from the operation of a ship, other than a pleasure craft, where

1. a person falls overboard from the ship,
2. the ship, of one hundred gross tons or more, unintentionally makes contact with the bottom without going aground,
3. the ship fouls a utility cable or pipe, or an underwater commodity pipeline,
4. the ship is involved in a risk of collision,
5. the ship sustains a total failure of any machinery,
6. the ship sustains a shifting of cargo or a loss of cargo overboard,
7. the ship is intentionally grounded or beached to avoid an accident,
8. any crew member whose duties are directly related to the safe operation of the ship is unable to perform the crew member's duties as a result of a physical incapacitation that poses a threat to the safety of any person, property or the environment, or
9. any dangerous goods are released on board or from the ship.

What information is required—TSB Regulations Sections 3(3) and 3(4)

When a reportable marine accident or incident takes place, the report to the Board shall contain as much of the following information as is available:

1. the name or identification number, nationality and type of the ship;
2. the names of the owner, operator, charterer and agents of the ship;
3. the names and qualifications of the master and pilot of the ship;
4. the date and time of the accident or incident;
5. the weather and sea conditions at the time of the accident or incident;
6. a description of the navigational aids on board the ship;
7. the last point of departure and intended destination of the ship, including the date and time of the departure;
8. where the ship is not missing,
   1. the location of the accident or incident by reference to an easily defined geographical point, or by latitude and longitude,
   2. the number of crew members, passengers and other persons that were killed or sustained a serious injury,
   3. a description of the accident or incident and the extent of any resulting damage to the ship, the environment and other property, and damage to the ship, the environment and other property, and
   4. a description of any dangerous goods on board, or released from, the ship
9. where the ship is missing,
   1. the last known position of the ship by reference to an easily defined geographical point, or by latitude and longitude, including the date and time of that position,
   2. the number of crew members and passengers on board the ship,
   3. a description of any dangerous aboard the ship, and
   4. the action being taken to locate the ship
10. the technical specifications of the ship such as the tonnage, length and type of propulsion;
11. description of the cargo aboard the ship; and
12. the name and address of the person making the report and, where applicable, the name or identification number of the ship from which the report is being made.

In addition to the reporting requirements set out above, the person making the report shall, in a form approved by the Board, submit to the Board within 30 days after the accident or incident all the above information, unless otherwise exempted by the Board.