A Transportation Safety Board report into a huge cargo spill off Vancouver Island says it’s concerned that gaps in Canada’s preparedness for marine emergencies poses a risk to vessels, the environment, and public health and safety.
The TSB’s investigation report says the spill of more than 100 containers and a fire aboard a container ship in October 2021 “raised questions about the availability and capability of Canadian resources” in emergencies.
It 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.
“It is not a matter of if, but when a similar incident will occur. And the question is, will Canada be prepared for it?” said TSB chair Kathy Fox.
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 MV Zim Kingston rolled and lost 109 containers in rough seas about 50 kilometres south of Ucluelet, B.C., with much of the cargo washing up along the beaches of Vancouver Island.
Around 36 hours later, while the vessel was anchored off Victoria, a fire broke out in a container that had a hazardous chemical. The fire spread to other containers.
The TSB’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.
Fox said the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the global authority for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping, has developed interim guidelines to address the risks of parametric rolling — the sudden, dangerous side-to-side rolling conditions which resulted in the loss of the Zim Kingston’s 109 containers.
The TSB investigation found guidance material was not on board the ship at the time of the incident.
Model testing conducted by the Transportation Safety Board determined that the MV Zim Kingston experienced “parametric rolling,” which occurs when sea conditions converge with vessel-specific factors to create dangerous side-to-side rolling motions. The forces were the precipitating factor for the loss of 109 containers overboard.
Fox said she wants the guidelines to be made permanent and mandatory — and that they include more than just assessing the risks of parametric rolling but also “procedures, tools and training” so crews are better prepared to deal with the risk.
“Specifically, the Government of Canada, we hope, and Transport Canada in particular, will advocate for our concern to the IMO as the state representative,” Fox said.
Toxic cargo
Sixteen crew members of the Vancouver-bound Zim Kingston, which was packed with cargo from Asia, were forced to leave the ship due to the fire, after smoke from three burning containers holding containing potassium amylxanthate was deemed dangerous.
The ship’s manifest showed the same volatile substance was being held in two of the 109 missing containers.
Potassium amylxanthate, which is used in mining, is classified by the U.S. government as “spontaneously combustible” and is toxic to marine life.
Other containers that fell overboard contained Christmas decorations, sofas, poker tables, metal car parts, clothing, toys, yoga mats, stand-up paddle boards and industrial parts, according to the manifest.
In December 2022, more than a year later, vacuum cleaner parts, bike helmets, coolers and urinal mats from some of the containers were still washing up on B.C.’s shores.
In Canada, polluters are required by law to pay for cleanup and the coast guard said the owner of the vessel was part of a team leading the response. The coast guard forwards any public reports of debris to the vessel owner and ensures appropriate cleanup occurs.
A House of Commons standing committee report on the incident from October 2022 warned of ongoing risks to marine safety.
“The federal government, provinces and coastal communities are currently not operationally prepared to effectively manage marine cargo container spills,” the report concluded.
The report made 29 recommendations for improvements, including the implementation of formal marine debris monitoring and a management plan “that adequately addresses all forms of marine debris impacting coastlines.”