・ Fire: an accident in which a fire has occurred on board a vessel, resulting in damage to it, unless the fire has occurred as a result of an accident in a different category
・ Explosion: an accident in which the cargo of a vessel has caught fire and exploded owing to a chemical reaction, etc., resulting in damage to the vessel
・ Machinery failure: an accident in which a vessel's main engine or auxiliary machinery has failed, or its fuel oil system, air or electric system has suffered damage
・ Equipment damage: an accident in which a vessel has suffered damage to its equipment but not to its hull
・ Facility damage: an accident in which a vessel has collided or come into contact with a facility other than a ship, resulting in damage to the facility but not to the vessel
・ Fatalities and injuries: an accident which has resulted in fatalities or injuries among crew members, passengers, etc., or in which crew members or passengers have gone missing, owing to a reason related to the construction, facilities or operation of a vessel, unless the reason qualifies the accident in another category
・ Obstruction of safety: a situation in which a vessel, while having suffered no actual physical damage, has faced an imminent danger threatening its safety, such as excessive listing induced by poor stowage of cargo, which could lead to capsizing
・ Obstruction of operation: a situation in which the normal operation of a vessel deteriorates and danger increases over time because, although the vessel has suffered no actual physical damage, it has, for example, fallen inoperative owing to an insufficient supply of bunkers or fresh water
Types of vessels
・ Passenger ship: passenger liners, car ferries and other ships engaged primarily in the carriage of passengers and having a passenger complement is 12 or more
・ Cargo ship: container ships, car carriers, gravel carriers and other ships engaged primarily in the carriage of cargo(excluding oil carriers)
・ Oil carrier: crude oil carriers, naphtha tankers, LPG carriers and other carriers engaged primarily in the carriage of oil(crude oil, oil products, LPG, etc.)
・ Fishing vessel: fishing boats, mother ships for salmon and trout fishing, fish catch carriers and other ships defined in Subparagraphs 1 to 3, Paragraph 1, Article 2, of the Fishing Vessel Law
・ Other ship: tug boats, pushers, work boats, barges and pleasure craft(a generic term describing motor boats, yachts, marine motorbikes and other waterborne craft used for marine leisure)
Tonnage
"Tonnage," as used in this report, refers to a vessel's gross tonnage.
Serious marine accident
A "serious marine accident" is defined as a marine accident designated so by the Chief of the Marine Accidents Inquiry Commissioner's Office or a chief of the Local Marine Accidents Inquiry Commissioner's Office, because it is considered necessary to expedite the handling of the accident owing to its complex causes, large scale or significant social impact.
