On February 11th 2021 the tug boat Ingenika sank in rough seas south of Kitimat. It sank as it took on water after trying to pull a large barge in the Gardner Canal, which was battered by icy winds gusting at more than 70 knots. Surface temperatures that night were below -20C with hurricane force winds. Yet, the company that owned the tug sent the crew out anyway. Troy Pearson and Charley Cragg died that night. Their families have been looking for justice and accountability for their deaths ever since.
The company, Wainwright Marine Services, and its president, James Bates, have now been charged with 8 counts of negligence. Not long after the incident, Wainwright was fined $62,000 by transport Canada.
However, after a petition was submitted to the transport minister with more than 10,000 signatures, the initial probe into the sinking expanded into a full scale class three investigation.
Although it’s been two years, Transport Canada is still reviewing the need for more safety measures and inspections on small tug boats, something the families have been calling for since Cragg and Pearson lost their lives.
"The alarm is widespread," wrote Jason Woods, in a press release. "The Transportation Safety Board — the professionals Canadians pay to investigate accidents and design solutions — has for more than a decade recommended that Transport Canada appropriately regulate vessels under 15 tons, close regulatory loopholes and launch a concentrated inspection program of enforcement of existing regulations."
Listen to the full interview below.