The federal Transportation Safety Board says it’s concerned that gaps in Canada’s preparedness for marine emergencies could pose a risk to vessels, the environment, and the health and safety of the general public.
An investigation report into the cargo spill of more than 100 containers and a fire aboard the MV Zim Kingston in October 2021 says the incident “raised questions about the availability and capability of Canadian resources” in emergencies.
The board says Canada does not have a plan to respond to events involving noxious substances other than oil, and it calls for a comprehensive guide to deal with ships rolling or tipping in stormy seas.
The report says that unlike the United States, Canada does not require prearranged plans for fire response or marine salvage, and the Canadian Coast Guard does not directly participate in putting out fires.
The Greek-owned container ship rolled and lost 109 containers overboard about 50 kilometres south of Ucluelet, B.C., spilling cargo along Vancouver Island’s beaches.
Around 36 hours later, while the vessel was anchored off Victoria, a fire broke out in a container that had a hazardous chemical, which later spread to other containers.
The safety board’s report says the federal government intends to create a single system to respond to all marine pollution incidents and Transport Canada is developing regulations to strengthen preparedness requirements for the industry, but that could take another four years.
“In the interim, 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,” the report says.
