Associated links (M21P0297)
Kathy Fox, TSB Chair
Étienne Séguin-Bertrand, Senior Investigator/Safety Analyst (Marine)
Yoan Marier, Board Member
Vancouver, British Columbia
31 July 2024
Check against delivery.
Kathy Fox – Introduction
Good morning and thank you for joining us.
We are here today to issue two safety concerns, following the 2021 occurrence involving the container vessel ZIM Kingston at La Perouse Bank, off Vancouver Island, British Columbia, which resulted in the loss of 109 containers overboard, as well as an onboard fire that lasted for five days.
This type of accident is not just a maritime mishap – the effects are far-reaching and long-lasting. The consequences of such accidents threaten marine ecosystems, and endanger vessels and their crews, as well as the health and safety of both Canadians and those beyond our borders.
The loss of a container can take seconds. But years later, the damage remains.
I’ll turn things over to Étienne, who will walk you through the events, explaining how things unfolded the way they did, and why.
Étienne Séguin-Bertrand – Investigation findings
Thank you, Kathy.
On October 6, 2021, the ZIM Kingston departed Busan, South Korea, loaded with nearly 2000 containers, holding both dangerous goods and consumer products. As the vessel was nearing Vancouver on October 21, three days ahead of schedule, the master was told there was no anchorage available, and consequently
he decided to hold the vessel offshore, outside the Juan de Fuca Strait.
At around 10:30 PM local time, the vessel rolled heavily from port to starboard four times, sending 109 containers, approximately 11% of the vessel’s deck cargo, overboard. The majority of containers likely sank, while those that remained afloat began to drift northwest, parallel to the Vancouver Island coastline.
At the time of the occurrence, the ZIM Kingston was encountering strong gale force winds and 5-6 metre waves. However, the weather conditions were not extreme for a vessel of its size and design. Thirty-six hours after the containers were lost, and after the vessel had proceeded to a Constance Bank anchorage, a fire broke out on board in a collapsed container that held dangerous goods. The fire then spread to nearby containers and lasted for five days.
Model testing conducted during our investigation confirmed that the ZIM Kingston experienced parametric rolling – a complex phenomenon, difficult to predict, and, as we’ve seen in this occurrence, one that can have damaging consequences.
Parametric rolling develops when sea conditions, like the wave height, length, and direction, combine with other factors, many of which are vessel-specific, for example its stability, speed, hull form, or length. When these factors interact in a precise way, sudden dangerous rolling motions are generated.
While parametric rolling can happen in stormy weather, it can happen in a wide range of environmental conditions as well.
This occurrence brought to the forefront the challenges that Canada faces when dealing with marine emergencies that go beyond the response capacity of the vessel’s crew, including the availability of resources to respond to vessel fires and incidents involving hazardous and noxious substances.
After the fire broke out on the vessel, the crew responded with all the equipment they had available to them. However, the fire exceeded their capacity to respond, and outside assistance was required.
The emergency response that followed was initiated mainly due to incidental, but fortunate, circumstances: first, United States legislation required that vessels transiting U.S. waters, like the ZIM Kingston, have a pre-existing marine salvage and response contract in place in the event of a marine emergency. Second, this contractor was quickly able to task two foreign-flagged vessels with firefighting capabilities that happened to be in Victoria at the time.
Our investigation found that the fire response followed industry standards and was conducted efficiently. The contract between the ship’s manager and the U.S.-based marine salvage and response contractor meant that there was rapid access to emergency specialists who provided guidance and to a team of trained personnel who were able to board the vessel to help contain the fire. The two foreign-flagged vessels provided important firefighting support during the response, a capacity that is not readily available in the area.
Kathy will now tell you about the two safety concerns the Board is issuing today.
Kathy Fox – Environmental impact and safety concerns
With the loss of over 100 shipping containers and their contents, the ZIM Kingston occurrence had, and continues to have, far-reaching impacts.
Containers lost at sea are a hazard to navigation while floating and, once they drift ashore or sink and break apart, they can become a risk to coastal environments and marine habitats.
Following this occurrence, a debris removal plan was developed to recover existing stranded containers and their contents, and the vessel owner took on the responsibility for the initial clean-up efforts, which concluded in December 2022.
However, as of January this year, the ongoing beach cleanups in B.C. have found new debris that is likely from the ZIM Kingston along large stretches of the coastline. The freshness of the debris suggests that the containers continue to release their contents.
In total, an estimated 1490 tonnes of cargo were lost overboard. Only around 48 tonnes were recovered during short-term clean-up efforts, which means that 97% of the debris remains in our waters or washed up on coastlines.
The volume and variety of contents lost overboard, as well as the general lack of studies on container spills, make it difficult to determine the long-term consequences that this and other such occurrences will continue to have on Canadian waters and coastlines.
Our first safety concern relates to the need for comprehensive guidance for managing the risk of parametric rolling.
Our investigation found that the risk of parametric rolling could have been identified using guidance material that is generally available to industry. However, this guidance material was not on board the ZIM Kingston at the time of the occurrence.
Although material available to industry provides guidance on how to identify the risk of parametric rolling developing, it does not provide comprehensive guidance to help vessel owners, charterers, and bridge crews to manage the risk effectively.
There are inconsistencies and inadequacies with respect to the training of bridge crews and the adoption of procedures and tools to support them in managing the risk.
The International Maritime Organization is taking steps to update industry guidance for the management of parametric rolling; however, this will take time. In the meantime, the Board is concerned that the absence of up-to-date comprehensive industry guidance for the management of parametric rolling may cause company policies, procedures, tools, and training to be inconsistent, ineffective, or absent altogether, which could lead to more container loss occurrences, along with their associated negative outcomes for safety and the environment.
Our second safety concern focuses on Canada’s preparedness for marine emergencies.
Large commercial vessels are generally equipped to handle emergencies on board, and crew members are trained accordingly. However, there are times when an emergency expands beyond the capacity of the crew to respond. Having pre-established salvage and response arrangements can improve the timeliness of the response through availability of vessel information and pre-planning.
In this occurrence, it was extremely fortunate that the vessel’s manager had made pre-arrangements for emergency response AND that there happened to be two suitably-equipped vessels nearby.
It is important not to mistake this luck for emergency preparedness. The next time, we might not be as lucky!
Following amendments to the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, the Government of Canada now has the authority to make regulations regarding emergency arrangements for vessels.
The government has also recognized the need to improve preparedness for hazardous and noxious substances occurrences. A single national system to respond to all marine pollution incidents is currently in development, with the implementation planned for 2027.
Transport Canada is developing regulations to require emergency response arrangements, but they estimate that this work will take four years to complete and will not be in place before 2028.
We know from past experience that developing regulations could take substantially longer than anticipated, but there’s no need for that. It’s a matter of priorities, and it can be done much quicker!
Therefore, the Board is concerned that there are gaps in Canada’s preparedness for marine emergencies that exceed the response capacity of a vessel’s crew, posing a risk to vessels, the environment, and the health and safety of the general public.
There needs to be more urgent and effective action to address marine emergencies in Canadian waters to reduce the associated risks.
Kathy Fox - Conclusion
The ZIM Kingston has added another chapter to the history of maritime emergencies, highlighting the ever-present risk to people, property, and the environment. It’s not a matter of if, but when a similar incident will occur.
The question is, will Canada be prepared to address it?
Thank you.