A misaligned rudder and a few seconds away from the controls were enough to cause last year’s tugboat collision near Gabriola Island.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada released its report today into the incident, which happened May 24, 2016 and required a water rescue of two people.
At about 5:30 p.m. that day, the CT Titan was passing the Albern on the right, but veered to port and struck the smaller tugboat, causing it to capsize and sink.
The report found that while the CT Titan was running parallel to the Albern, the master of the larger tug left the vessel’s flying bridge at the top to navigate from the wheelhouse. In the six to eight seconds it took him to get to the wheelhouse, the Titan had veered to port. Two to four seconds after that, the Titan’s bow struck the Albern’s starboard side.
“The Albern capsized and trapped its two crew members underwater…” the report reads. “The Albern’s deckhand escaped the vessel’s flooded wheelhouse through the wheelhouse door, and the Albern’s master escaped through a shattered wheelhouse window; both the master and the deckhand swam to the surface.”
The Albern sank, carrying 800 litres of fuel oil and 200L of hydraulic oil.
“Minor pollution was reported,” the report read.
The report found that the Titan’s rudders had been repaired about two months before the crash, but maintenance records did not indicate that the rudder alignment had been checked following the work.
Both tugboats involved in the collision were owned by the same company, Jones Marine Group Ltd. of Chemainus. Following the incident, the company held a training course for 10 masters and 10 deckhands. The company also “corrected the deficiency that was present on the CT Titan at the time of the occurrence,” according to the report.
The investigation into the crash is now closed.