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Marine transportation occurrences in 2019

Table of contents

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 accidentsFootnote 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. Shipping accidents and accidents aboard ship, 2009 to 2019
Shipping accidents and accidents aboard ship, 2009 to 2019
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. Marine fatalities and serious injuries, 2009 to 2019
Marine fatalities and serious injuries, 2009 to 2019
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. Shipping accidents, by accident type, 2009–2018 average and 2019
Shipping accidents, by accident type, 2009–2018 average and 2019
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. Shipping accidents, by vessel type, 2009–2018 average and 2019
Shipping accidents, by vessel type, 2009–2018 average and 2019
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. Shipping accidents, by geographical region, 2009–2018 average and 2019
Shipping accidents, by geographical region, 2009–2018 average and 2019
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. Shipping accident rates for Canadian-flag commercial non-fishing vessels, 2009 to 2019
Shipping accident rates for Canadian-flag commercial non-fishing vessels, 2009 to 2019
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. Shipping accident rate for Canadian-flag fishing vessels, 2009 to 2019
Shipping accident rate for Canadian-flag fishing vessels, 2009 to 2019
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. Marine incidents by type, 2019
Marine incidents by type, 2019
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

  1. Vessel movement data from Transport Canada (TC).
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Commercial fishing vessels landing a catch (Source: DFO).
  6. 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

  1. Vessel movement data from Transport Canada (TC).
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
  4. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

Marine accident

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

Accident aboard ship

Shipping accident

Marine incident

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

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

Figure depicts TSB Marine regional limits
Figure depicts TSB Marine 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.