Marine Accident

Primary reference(s)

United Nations, European Union and the International Transport Forum at the OECD, 2019. Glossary for transport statistics. 5th Edition. Accessed 3 October 2020.

Additional scientific description

Statistically agreed definitions for Marine Accident (United Nations, European Union and the International Transport Forum at the OECD, 2019) as follows:

• Fatal accident: any injury resulting in a person killed.
• Non-fatal accident: any injury incident other than a fatal accident.
• Person killed: Any person killed immediately or dying within 30 days as a result of an injury accident. For countries that do not apply the threshold of 30 days, conversion coefficients are estimated so that comparisons on the basis of the 30 day-definition can be made.
• Person lost at sea: A person missing at sea, being presumed to have gone overboard.
• Person Injured: Any person who as result of an injury accident was not killed but sustained an injury.
• Serious injury: An injury which is sustained by a person in a casualty resulting in incapacitation for more than 72 hours commencing within seven days from the date of injury.
• Person seriously injured: Any person who as result of an injury accident was seriously injured.
• Person slightly injured: Any person who as result on an injury accident was not seriously injured.
• Very serious marine casualty: A casualty to a marine vessel which involves the total loss of the marine vessel, loss of life or severe damage to the environment.
• Serious marine casualty: A casualty which does not qualify as a very serious casualty and which involves a fire, explosion, grounding, contact, heavy weather damage, ice damage, hull cracking or suspected hull defect, etc., resulting in: structural damage rendering the marine vessel not navigable, such as penetration of the hull underwater, immobilisation of the main engines, extensive accommodation damage etc.; or pollution (regardless of quantity); and/or a breakdown necessitating towage or shore assistance.
• Marine incident: An occurrence or event being caused by, or in connection with, the operations of a marine vessel in motion at sea, other than a marine casualty that endangered, or, if not corrected, would endanger the safety of the vessel, its occupants or any other person or the environment.

Metrics and numeric limits

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the United Nations agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships. The IMO’s work supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (IMO, 2019). Reporting to IMO of marine safety investigations and marine casualties and incidents are based on the following IMO instruments (IMO, no date):

• Code of International Standards and Recommended Practices for a Safety Investigation into a Marine Casualty or Marine Incident (Casualty Investigation Code), 2008 edition (resolution MSC.255(84)).
• Safety of fishermen at sea, resolution A.646(16), paragraph 3.
• Reports on casualty statistics concerning fishing vessels and fishermen at sea, MSC/Circ.539/Add.2.
• Report on fishing vessels and fishermen statistics, MSC/Circ.753.
• Provision of preliminary information on serious and very serious casualties by rescue co-ordination centres, MSC/Circ.802.
• Guidance on near-miss reporting, MSC-MEPC.7/Circ.7, paragraph 4.
• Casualty-related matters, Reports on marine casualties and incidents, MSC-MEPC.3/Circ.4/Rev.1.
• Guide on the process of Reporting a marine casualty and incident to IMO; and Reviewing the analysis of a marine safety investigation report submitted to IMO , which is a user guidance for the Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) module on marine casualties and incidents.
• Guide on the process to Associate interest to a Marine Safety Investigation report, which is regarding how Member States can be associated to a Marine Safety Investigation report previously uploaded into GISIS-MCI.

Examples of drivers, outcomes and risk management

The causes of marine accidents include collision, close quarters and contact accidents; grounding; fire; explosion; lifeboat (lack of training and/or maintenance); inadequate risk management; third party deficiency; technical failure and weather and other environmental factors (Acejo et al., 2018).

The IMO has established an International Safety Management (ISM) Code that seeks to establish systems for safe operation and management of ships and for pollution prevention (IMO, 1993). The Code’s origins go back to the late 1980s, when there was mounting concern about poor management standards in shipping. Investigations into accidents revealed major errors on the part of management, and in 1987 the IMO Assembly adopted resolution A.596(15), which called upon the Maritime Safety Committee to develop guidelines concerning shore-based management to ensure the safe operation of ro-ro passenger ferries. The procedures required by the Code should be documented and compiled in a Safety Management Manual, a copy of which should be kept on board (IMO, 1998).