These occurrences include collisions, allisions, groundings, fires, explosions, flooding, sinking and systems failures. Some data for casualties to waterfront facilities are included in the data set, however because there is no regulatory requirement for reports or investigations of facility incidents, this data is not intended to represent a complete census of such incidents. Data represent a census of vessel casualties investigated by USCG personnel. Even if not reported by the responsible persons, the Coast Guard sometimes learns about incidents involving vessel casualties through witnesses, crew, insurance investigators or legal representatives. USCG personnel will further investigate the incident to complete the MSIS investigation case.
Investigations vary depending upon the nature and severity of the casualty.
Complete investigations are conducted whenever a vessel is lost or totally destroyed, while investigations of minor damage may record little more than the information reported by vessel personnel. Investigations attempt to identify the chain of events leading to the vessel damage and the causes for those events. Schedule - Data is collected continuously as incidents are investigated. Simple investigations may be completed in a day while complex investigations may take years to complete. USCG personnel have investigated casualties to vessels since 1963.