Ships, boats, vessels, pleasure craft, derelict vessels…  When we receive a claim, here’s one of the first questions our team asks itself:

• Was the pollution incident caused by an oil spill or the risk of an oil spill from a ship?

Here is what we mean by “ship”:

• Is it designed, used, or usable for moving in water?

We classify ships according to the following categories:

• Tankers
• Cargo, container, and passenger vessels
• Tugs and barges
• Fishing vessels
• Pleasure craft
• Other

We can also pay compensation in the case of mystery spills, where we can’t identify the ship that caused a spill.

It may be surprising, but the following are all examples of ships:

• Abandoned ships
  • In 2022-2023, more than half of all claims we received were related to derelict or abandoned ships
• Autonomous or remotely controlled ships
• Personal watercraft, such as a sea-doos
• Amphibious vehicles that can travel on both land and water
• Submarines
• Ships under construction, from the moment they can float
• Some offshore structures, such as oil rigs, if they are not secured to the ocean floor

Caution! A ship may lose its status. For example, an old ship that is permanently attached to the shore, a dock system or a breakwater may no longer be considered a ship.

The following are NOT factors we consider when assessing whether it is a ship:

• Registration, or operating licences or permits
• Insurance coverage
• Size or gross tonnage
• Whether it requires a crew or is remotely controlled
• Whether it carries passengers
• Whether it carries cargo
• Whether it is self-propelled
• Whether it is damaged, broken up, abandoned, or sunken
• Location: a ship placed on land is still a ship