A lack of oversight for small tugs has been highglighted in a report on the sinking of the Sheena M near Langdale last October.
Sheena Mcapsized and sank at Williamsons Landing after it was overtaken by a barge it was tugging, according to the Transportation Safety Board (TSB), which released its findings at the end of May following its investigation into the incident.
On Oct. 1, a clear and calm day, the 10-tonne tug was on its way to Howe Sound Pulp and Paper Mill from Terminal Forest Products’ facility in Langdale, towing a barge loaded with more than 2,000 short tons of wood chips. The girding incident occurred shortly after the tug left the terminal and took a left to head towards Port Mellon.
The boat’s two passengers tried to abort the tow but were forced to escape as the tug took on water. The deckhand swam to a nearby log boom and sustained minor injuries while the master climbed aboard the barge they had been towing.
A nearby boom boat collected and transported them to a dock where they boarded another tug, the Goblin, and retrieved the floating barge from the channel.
The report noted a number of details leading to the capsizing.
For starters, the towline was used without a bridle and was only secured to the front port side of the barge. The boat also didn’t have a required stability booklet onboard, and when the vessel was being girded the starboard wheelhouse door was secured open, “which compromised the vessel’s water tightness,” the report said.
It also noted that while the master had more than 30 years of experience, the crew of Sheena M “did not have procedures for identifying or mitigating hazards such as girding.” The master also lacked the required certification.
“This occurrence reinforces the need for towing companies to have policies and procedures in place to manage safety, including ensuring the adequacy of towing arrangements and requirements for vessel stability,” the report said.
Tugboats weighing less than 15 gross tonnes are not required to be regularly inspected by Transport Canada.
This lack of oversight was highlighted by the TSB in 2015 when another tug, the Syringa, sank in the Strait of Georgia.
It was noted again in this report that “without adequate oversight by Transport Canada, shortcomings in the safety management and operations of tugs less than 15 gross tonnes may not be addressed.”
A random inspection of Sheena M on July 19 found several deficiencies, all of which were addressed except for the inclusion of the stability booklet on board.
There have been 26 TSB reports of girdings between 2005 and 2018, 21 of which resulted in capsizings.
