Story by Sharon Vanhouwe, MyCoastNow.com
NORTH ISLAND, B.C- The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has released its investigation report into the causes and contributing factors that led to the grounding and sinking of the U.S. registered tug, the Nathan E. Stewart.
The TSB says fatigue, on the part of the second mate, who was keeping watch alone on the bridge is the reason the tug went aground on a reef near Athlone Island in October of 2016.
He had fallen asleep.
The tugs’ hull was breached and around 110,000 litres of diesel fuel were released into the environment.
The investigation also determined the spill response and the recovery efforts of both the Western Canada Marine Response Corporation and the Canadian Coast Guard were appropriate but there was some confusion as to who had the final authority.
