B.C. marine union leaders renew call for small tugboat safety inspections

Union leaders in the B.C. marine industry a renewing a years-long call for inspections on small tugboats, citing a fatal disaster south of Kitimat two years ago.

Jason Woods and Ziggy Mangat say they’re frustrated Transport Canada has still not mandated the practice on tugs under 15 gross tonnes, despite Transportation Safety Bureau (TSB) recommendations.

“There’s tugs that have been built on this coast generations ago who have never had any kind of inspection or scrutiny whatsoever,” said Woods, president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 400 marine section.

“Transport Canada and Minister Alghabra need to do better … because vessels like the Ingenika are going up and down this coast every day in all kinds of weather.”

The MV Ingenika sank on Feb. 11, 2021 while pulling a barge through the narrow Gardner Canal towards the Rio Tinto Kemano Generating Station. Captain Troy Pearson, 58, and crew member Charley Cragg, 25, died in the frigid waters during a raging storm with wind gusts of more than 70 knots per hour.

Only the vessel’s 19-year-old first mate survived.

The Ingenika, an “under-tonnage” tug, was exempt from certain federal regulations, including a requirement to have onboard safety management systems.

“There’s no regulation to the size of the tow versus the size of the tug, so you can have the largest tow in the world on the smallest tug if that operator thinks it’s safe to do,” Woods said.

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Last month, the TSB released its report into the tragedy. Its recommendations included regular inspections for tugs under 15 gross tonnes, adequate risk assessment by owners and operators and that the Pacific Pilotage Authority ensure only qualified crew members are allowed to pilot a vessel.

At the time, TSB chair Kathy Fox said the board had investigated six occurrences with similar-sized tugs since 2015, and their systemic safety issues have been on the board’s safety watchlist for 13 years.

Charges under the Workers Compensation Act were laid in February against the tug company in the Ingenika case, Wainwright Marine Services, and one of its senior officials, alleging violations of occupational health and safety regulations.

In an emailed statement, Transport Canada said it is “carefully studying” the TSB’s recommendations and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra will respond within 90 days.

The federal department also took steps to improve small tug safety after the disaster, it added, including the launch of a compliance inspection initiative for tugs like the Ingenika, and a new online tool to help small tug owners and operators meet their safety requirements.

“The department published proposed regulations that will see requirements for a safety management system extended to small vessels, including tugs,” wrote senior communications advisor Sau Sau Liu.

“This will assist in creating an enhanced culture of safety around these vessels and their operations.”

Transport Canada also helped create a new Pacific Coast Tow and Workboat Safety Advisory Group, which aims to promote best practices and make recommendations to regulators.

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Regulatory change can’t come soon enough, according to Woods and Mangat.

Mangat, who has worked for multiple employers on under-tonnage vessels, said more safety equipment, drills and inspections are desperately needed.

“A little bit of concern is always there about falling in the water or your tow taking over your vessel and running you down,” he explained.

“I think it’s time to hold not only employers, but regulators accountable for a lack of enforcement.”

Since 2016, the Transportation Safety Board has recorded at least 350 tugboat and barge incidents across the country, including 24 sunk vessels and two fatalities.

Woods said “commercial pressure” and “cost” contribute to the slow pace of regulatory change within the industry.

In previous interviews, family members of those who died on the Ingenika have called for stricter safety measures, noting that Pearson had objected to working through the storm on the day of the incident, and that it was Cragg’s first day on a job for which he had no training or previous experience.