Two-Spirit of Vancouver Island crewmembers fell overboard while launching a rescue boat during the drill in August 2018, injuring one of the mariners.
“We conducted a detailed investigation and risk assessment into this incident,” said Deborah Marshall, BC Ferries’ executive director of public affairs. “The inquiry identified multiple causal factors. Equipment configuration, modifications, quality assurance, procedural changes, communication and supervisory oversight all played a role.”
The incident occurred on Aug. 31, 2018, at the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal in North Saanich, British Columbia. In June 2018, another of the ferry’s rescue boats fell 50 feet when a bent spring-loaded safety latch caused the vessel to slip off a hook during a davit repair. The boat’s hull sustained minor damage and the fuel tank cracked, spilling about 26 gallons of gasoline. Two months earlier, a rescue boat on another company ferry also fell during a drill, injuring two crewmembers.
This story is from the April 2020 edition of Professional Mariner.
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This story is from the April 2020 edition of Professional Mariner.
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