Transportation Safety Board releases report on incident involving 23 sea cans falling into Frobisher Bay
Sealift containers float near the NEAS ship Sivumut following an Oct. 27, 2023, spillover incident near Iqaluit. (Photo courtesy of CCGS Henry Larsen/Transportation Safety Board of Canada)
An overloaded sealift barge was a central factor in a 2023 incident in which a worker was injured and 23 sea cans fell into Frobisher Bay.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada released its report into the Oct. 27, 2023, spill that occurred while the NEAS ship Sivumut was unloading cargo near Iqaluit.
Investigators found that the barge on which workers were unloading freight was “overloaded” and “operating beyond its stability limits,” a news release said, leading to a capsize.
The injured worker recovered in hospital, and a recovery of the lost sea cans began soon after.
Six sea cans, which were loaded with products including porcelain toilets, were still underwater earlier this year.
The Transportation Safety Board is an independent agency that investigates air, sea, land and rail occurrences. TSB reports include recommendations to improve the safety of transportation in Canada. They are not meant to assign blame, criminal or civil liability.
More to come.
