Commercial Marine Shipping Accidents

Book excerpt: Canada’s economic and social development has benefited immensely from centuries of marine shipping. Today, the industry supports economies from coast to coast to coast, shipping hundreds of millions of tonnes of cargo, ranging from fuels to food, to consumer goods lining store shelves. The shipping industry is important to the livelihood of Canadians, but has also faced increased public scrutiny in recent years. The risks associated with opening the Arctic to greater ship traffic, increasing marine shipments of oil from Canada’s oil sands, and the growth in vessel size, especially of container ships, have all contributed to this discussion. Recognizing the need for consensus-building research in this area, the Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping asked the Council of Canadian Academies to convene an expert workshop to identify the risks associated with commercial marine shipping in major Canadian shipping regions. The final workshop report, Commercial Marine Shipping Accidents: Understanding the Risks in Canada, identifies the risks of commercial marine shipping accidents across Canada’s regions and for different cargo types, while highlighting gaps in understanding and areas for further research. The workshop report brings together perspectives from academia, government, and industry and is informed by evidence from a survey of the marine shipping community and an extensive review of the existing literature. It can be used as a tool for policy-makers to help inform decisions related to managing the risks of commercial marine shipping accidents. Overall, this workshop report seeks to contribute to a national dialogue about acceptable levels of risk in commercial marine shipping.