Classification
- Incident Type: Capsize girding
- Severity: High
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | North Arm Venture |
| Vessel Type | Tug |
| Flag State | Canada [CA] |
| IMO Number | |
| Registry/Licence Number | 331902 |
| Gross Tonnage | 35.46 |
| LOA (m) | 12.80 |
| Breadth (m) | 5.64 |
| Year Built | 1970 |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2009-07-19 |
| Location | Sechelt Rapids, British Columbia |
| Coordinates | 49.7417, -123.9000 |
| Region | Canada |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 2 |
| Missing | 0 |
Key facts
- North Arm Venture was towing North Arm Express, a 786 GT barge carrying fuel and deck cargo, from Toba Inlet to Sechelt Inlet.
- The tug girded and capsized at approximately 12:50 Pacific Daylight Time while making a port turn at the entrance to Sechelt Rapids.
- All four crew members were rescued; two suffered minor injuries.
- Sea Imp IX towed the overturned tug and barge to Killam Bay, and North Arm Venture was righted the next day.
- The TSB identified the pre-slack-tide transit, insufficient reserve power, the shortened towline, and absent girding procedures as causal or contributory factors.
Narrative
On 19 July 2009, North Arm Venture was towing the barge North Arm Express from Toba Inlet to Sechelt Inlet. The barge carried 370,156 litres of diesel fuel and gasoline in bulk, five empty bulk cement carriers, and three trucks on deck. The crew planned to reach Sechelt Rapids near low-tide slack water. North Arm Express was a Canadian barge of 786 GT, 52.43 m in length, registered as 331168 and built in 1969.
At 12:35 Pacific Daylight Time, the towline was shortened to approximately 19 m to improve manoeuvrability. At 12:46, the master took the helm and increased power to half ahead as the tow entered the ebb current. The barge sheered to starboard and did not follow the tug's port turn. The barge overtook the tug, and the shortened towline pivoted athwartships, pulling North Arm Venture onto its starboard side. The tug capsized at approximately 12:50.
The four crew members reached the overturned tug or barge and were rescued, with two suffering minor injuries. Sea Imp IX got underway at 12:55, towed both vessels to Killam Bay, and the tug was righted the following day. The TSB concluded that the transit began before slack tide, the tug lacked sufficient reserve power to regain control, the towline force overcame the tug's righting ability, and the company lacked procedures or guidelines on girding.
The report states that the tug carried the required emergency equipment, although one liferaft became tangled in the rigging. Deckhand No. 1 was taken to hospital and released the same day. The TSB recorded no traces of marine pollution. It also noted that the tug's abort switch was available, but the company had not provided crews with specific guidance for an imminent girding or capsize.
No crew member was reported missing, and the incident did not result in a vessel loss.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2009-07-18 21:00 PDT | North Arm Venture left Toba Inlet towing North Arm Express toward Sechelt Inlet. |
| 2009-07-19 12:35 PDT | The towline was shortened to approximately 19 m for the transit through the narrows. |
| 2009-07-19 12:46 PDT | The master took the helm, increased power, and began a port turn as the barge sheered to starboard. |
| 2009-07-19 12:50 PDT | The barge overtook the tug; North Arm Venture girded and capsized. |
| 2009-07-19 12:55 PDT | Sea Imp IX got underway and later towed the tug and barge to Killam Bay. |
| 2009-07-20 | North Arm Venture was righted and later towed to Vancouver. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Transit before slack tide | Confirmed finding | The transit began before slack tide, allowing the barge to come under the influence of the ebb tide and sheer to starboard. |
| Insufficient reserve power | Confirmed finding | The tug could not regain control of the barge under the prevailing conditions. |
| Shortened towline | Confirmed finding | The towline pivoted athwartships as the barge overtook the tug, applying transverse force that overcame the tug's righting ability. |
| Lack of girding procedures | Confirmed finding | The company's safety-management material did not provide procedures or guidelines for girding, leaving the master without relevant decision-making guidance. |
Investigation
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigated the occurrence in report M09W0141. The report found that the tug's attempted recovery of the barge failed in the ebb current, after which the shortened towline pulled the tug into a girding and capsize. The report was released on 12 August 2010.
References
Related
- North Arm Venture
- Canada
- Girding
- Capsize Girding
- Transportation Safety Board of Canada
- Tug Incident Classification