Lack of adequate maintenance led to the sinking of the tug Syringa near Halfmoon Bay in March last year, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB).
The 11-metre-long tugboat was towing a barge north of Merry Island when it took on water and sank. After releasing the barge, the two crew members swam about 200 metres to Merry Island.
In a report on the accident released Feb. 25, the TSB said its investigation “determined that the tug sank because it was not maintained sufficiently to prevent down-flooding into the hull during the voyage. Further, a lack of a functioning high-level bilge alarm deprived the crew of an early warning of water ingress.”
The TSB investigation “also identified a number of issues related to emergency preparedness: the master had not been provided with procedures for the safe operation of the vessel or for dealing with emergencies; the crew members had not participated in emergency drills; the life jackets and exposure suits were stowed in a location not easily accessible; and the life raft had not undergone its mandatory annual servicing in 2014.”
The TSB, noting that the Syringa was not required by regulation to have a formal safety management system, called on Transport Canada to implement regulations requiring all operators in the marine industries to have formal safety management processes and to oversee these companies’ safety management processes.
