By The Canadian Press/Dominic Abassi

Tug at fault in 2016 sinking off Nanaimo left unattended at full speed: TSB

Aug 17, 2017 | 4:25 PM

NANAIMO — The Transportation Safety Board says a six-to-eight-second absence from the controls of a tug boat caused the sinking of another tug off Nanaimo.

A safety board report says the captain of the C.T. Titan left the tug going full speed ahead while he moved from the upper bridge to the wheelhouse and by the time he reached the controls, the boat had veered towards the vessel Albern.

The Titan’s master attempted to transfer propulsion control to the wheelhouse, but the report says he couldn’t do so in time and the 15-metre tug rammed the much smaller vessel in May 2016 in the Northumberland Channel.

The nine-metre Albern capsized and sank in the waters near Gabriola Island, temporarily trapping its two crew members under the water until they could escape and swim to the surface.

The report concludes the Titan veered to port because of misaligned rudders putting it on a collision course with the other tug and the master couldn’t gain control in time to prevent the crash.

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The board says the Titan’s safety manual had no documented safe operating procedures for transferring of propulsion control and auto pilot operations even though that was done several times a day. The investigation also found risks related to unsafe work practices, the lack of company safety management processes, and insufficient regulatory inspections.

“If unsafe work practices are preformed repeatedly by operators, and without operators experiencing any adverse consequences, then there is a risk that operators will have a reduced perception of the hazards involved in that practice and will continue to perform it,” the report issued Thursday concluded.

Both tugs are owned by Chemainus-based Jones Marine Group, which hired a consulting firm to conduct a safety management analysis. Its masters and deckhands have attended a training course on safe working practices.

The Albern meanwhile remains at the bottom of the channel between Duke Point and Gabriola Island. Nanaimo Port Authority harbour master Ed Dahlgren said the timeline to remove the boat is unknown because the insurance company for Jones Marine is contesting a federal removal order for the boat. The vessel, which is not a navigational hazard, spewed about 1,000 litres of diesel when it sank.

The Canadian Press

— With files from Ian Holmes