| There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding
the nature of maritime traffic and
incidents. Traffic densities
vary by type, location and time of year. Incidents typically
arise from one or more unpredictable causes, such as mechanical
failures, geographical hazards, poor navigation, and adverse
weather. Although specific incidents cannot be
predicted (or else they would be preventable), using statistics
to identify problem areas can lead to better prevention
or response planning. For example, MARIN has examined
commercial shipping traffic and accidents on the East
Coast of Canada and determined that the
incident rate
is related
to several factors, including the age of the vessel and
the distance traveled within the Canadian
SAR Boundaries. The figure below shows the typical
increase in accident rate with age and distance travelled.
|
Statistics