Commercial Marine Shipping Accidents Understanding Risks Canada

44 Commercial Marine Shipping Accidents: Understanding the Risks in Canada
Increase
Unfavourable weather, currents, flow
velocity, tides, shoreline, water depth
Biodiversity; sensitivity of
ecosystem or coast environment
Proximity of shipping route to cities,
dense populations, human activities
Lack of proximity to assistance
and remediation resources
Presence of ice (affects
behaviour of pollutants)
Indigenous or non-Indigenous
subsistence use (food or drinking water)
Reliance on commercial fisheries
27
27 11 26
17
18 12 29
4 19 2 15
5 12
15
3 10 18
10 5
Atlantic
9 5
North
Central
Pacific
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Decrease
Favourable weather, currents,
shoreline, water depth
Shipping route located away from cities,
dense populations, coastal ecosystems
Proximity to assistance
and remediation resources
Large geographical area, high flow velocity,
or high winds for dispersing pollutants
Co-operation or co-ordination (e.g., ports, industry,
response organizations); effective spill response
Regulations and preparedness regimes in
place; history of safe shipping
7
9 5 11
9
4 5 6
2 9 3 10
5
5 5
5
5 7 1 4
Experienced crew
2
4 4 4
1 4 3 1
Atlantic
North
Central
Pacific
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Number of Responses
Figure 4.1
Features That Increase or Decrease the Degree of Environmental Impacts
Survey respondents were asked to provide features of their chosen region that most increase or decrease the degree of environmental impacts of an
accident involving release of a pollutant. The top seven features are shown. For instance, the figure indicates that unfavourable weather and physical
conditions (e.g., shoreline) are most likely to shape the overall degree of environmental impacts.
Increase: n=299 [Atlantic: n=65, Central: n=84, North: n=55, Pacific: n=95]
Decrease: n=140 [Atlantic: n=31, Central: n=42, North: n=26, Pacific: n=41]
Across all regions, the physical environment and conditions at
the time of a spill rank among the most important factors for
determining overall impacts. The Royal Society of Canada’s
Expert Panel on the Behaviour and Environmental Impacts
of Crude Oil Released into Aqueous Environments reached
the same conclusion in the case of oil spills (Lee et al., 2015).
For features that might increase impact, respondents from
the Pacific mentioned biodiversity and ecosystem sensitivity
most frequently. More than half of the concerns about
the presence of ice were in relation to Northern Canada.
Ice affects the behaviour and fate of oil and is therefore
a key factor in determining the impact of an oil spill in
the Arctic, as well as the most effective response strategies
(Lee et al., 2011, 2015). The proximity of shipping routes
to cities could also increase the impacts of an accident.
The 2015 oil spill in Vancouver’s English Bay raised significant
concerns because it took place in a densely populated
area where the water and coastlines have multiple users
(Butler, 2015). Recent high-profile oil spills have occurred in
less densely populated areas so there is little evidence of the
potential societal impacts that would occur in the event of
an urban spill. Respondents from Central Canada indicated
reliance on fresh water from the Great Lakes for municipal
water supplies could exacerbate negative impacts. Indeed,
90% of Ontario’s population live in the Great Lakes basin,
and the lakes are the source of drinking water for 8.5 million
Canadians (EC, 2013).