TSB Investigates Damage to Ferry Tanker During Nunavut Fuel Transfer
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is investigating an incident involving a ferry tanker owned by a Labrador-based company that occurred during a fuel transfer in Nunavut in October.
The Kivalliq W, a 129-meter vessel operated by Coastal Shipping Limited - an affiliate of the Woodward Group of companies - experienced a mechanical failure on October 15th while discharging diesel fuel to a Nunavut mine site.
According to Peter Woodward, CEO of the Woodward Group of Companies, no injuries were reported and no hydrocarbons were spilled as a result of the damage. A replacement vessel was deployed following the incident. Woodward previously stated that a fuel tank sustained damage during the fuel discharge process.
TSB investigators boarded the Kivalliq W in Happy Valley-Goose Bay on Wednesday to commence their investigation. According to TSB media relations co-ordinator Hugo Fontaine, the investigation will proceed in three phases: on-site data collection, off-site examination and analysis, and a final reporting phase.
The current data collection phase, which began Wednesday, will involve witness interviews, a thorough examination of the vessel and the affected cargo tank(s), site documentation, and the gathering of relevant records and data. Fontaine noted that this details will be used to classify the nature of the incident,and that details from outside sources are currently being verified. The examination and analysis phase will typically be conducted away from the vessel, after investigators have completed their on-site work, as per the TSB’s website.
