Both vessels made mistakes in Vancouver harbour before capsize, TSB report says

The Saga Beija-Flor is seen in this photo from the TSB report. (Stan Muller / TSB)

The Transportation Safety Board says mistakes by both the operators of a cargo ship and a pleasure craft resulted in the smaller boat being overturned in Vancouver’s harbour.

A report from the board released Wednesday says the pleasure craft had been rented from Granville Island Boat Rentals on Oct. 15, 2022, for a tour when three people and their two dogs were thrown into the water by the larger ship's bow wave.

While the people were rescued, the dogs were never found.

The board’s report says the pilot of the rental boat who didn't have an operators' card was worried about staying one kilometre from the shore as directed, so wasn’t aware the larger ship was coming up from behind.

The report says no one on the Saga Beija-Flor cargo ship was on lookout as required in the very busy port, and the clear weather of that day was a factor in a lack of vigilance.

The findings say that without adequate training, operators with little experience may not be able to safely navigate busy channels, and if vessels with obstructed visibility don’t have a lookout, risks to other vessels may go undetected.

It says the rental company has since changed its policies and requires renters to watch a training video and emphasizes the need to give way to larger commercial vessels, especially near Vancouver Harbour bridges.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2024.