Marine accident
An accident at sea can take various forms:
- A person on board a vessel is injured or dies.
- A person falls overboard.
- The crew have to abandon the vessel, a vessel runs aground or becomes unusable.
- A vessel suffers damage that endangers the safety of the vessel or crew.
- …
A maritime accident can also occur in port or when the vessel is at anchor.
What can you do?
- Always follow the advice of safety staff on board the vessel and at the port.
- Are you going out to sea? Check the notices to mariners in Berichten aan Zeevarenden.
- Check out our general advice to follow before, during, and after an emergency.
Impact and probability
The figures relating to probability and impact describe a major maritime accident. The BNRA theoretically describes such a scenario as follows:
- A freight or passenger vessel sinks. For the freight vessel, there is a significant loss of cargo. For the passenger vessel, the capacity exceeds 1,000.
- The accident occurs on a major international shipping route, with heavy traffic (e.g. the North Sea).
- The impact lasts from a week to a month.
How should you interpret these results?
Within the BNRA, experts assessed three scenarios for each risk: considerable, major or extreme. On each page, you will find the results of the scenario with the highest score based on the combination of likelihood and impact. This does not mean that this scenario will occur or is the most likely. Read more here about how to correctly interpret the results.
Probability
Weak
Human impact
Moderate
Societal impact
Weak
Environmental impact
Very weak
Financial impact
Moderate
What do the authorities do?
The Belgian Coast Guard is a partnership between the Governor of West Flanders and 17 Flemish and federal public bodies with jurisdiction over the sea.
In the event of an incident which requires a coordinated multidisciplinary approach, the General Emergency and Intervention Plan for the North Sea is triggered. It is coordinated by the Governor of West Flanders. Learn more about the coastguard and the emergency plan.
The National Crisis Center is represented within the Coast Guard and the National Maritime Safety Agency. The latter agency is responsible for the general safety policy of ports, port facilities, ships and international trade.
Read more information on the website of the FPS Mobility (French and Dutch only).