Two men swam about 200 metres to safety after abandoning their sinking tugboat off Merry Island near Halfmoon Bay on March 18.
The 11-metre-long tugboat Syringa was towing a barge north of Merry Island when the tug reportedly sustained massive water ingress that quickly flooded the vessel.
A Canadian Coast Guard official said the tugboat captain woke up the sleeping seaman and the two immediately abandoned ship, swimming to Merry Island where the lighthouse keeper assisted them.
The tugboat sank so quickly, the official said, “when they looked back, it was gone.”
Residents reported the sinking tug about 3:40 p.m. and the Canadian Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria issued a mayday call, dispatching a hovercraft from Sea Island in Richmond, a motor lifeboat from French Creek, a Buffalo aircraft and Griffon helicopter.
A four-member crew from Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue’s Station 12 (Halfmoon Bay) was first on the scene, and an attendant with advanced marine first aid training treated the men for mild hypothermia, station leader Mark Wenn said.
The hovercraft transported the two men to Gibsons and a tug was dispatched to tow the barge, which was carrying construction equipment and had been cut loose before the boat sank.
A Transport Canada spokesperson said the department contacted the vessel’s owner after learning of the incident and will look into whether the tug met the safety regulations under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001.
“The tug owner is cooperating with Transport Canada and will be responsible for the salvage,” regional communications officer Sau Sau Liu said Tuesday.
