A fishing boat that capsized during a tow through icy waters wasn’t equipped for conditions, and the Canadian Coast Guard didn’t have a proper plan for the manoeuvre, says a government report.
“L’Acadien II was neither designed, constructed, nor adequately modified to operate in these conditions,” said Transportation Safety Board investigator, Don Eaves.
Three crew members died, while another is missing and presumed dead, after L’Acadien II hit a piece of ice off the Cape Breton coast last March.
Based out of Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Que., the boat had lost its steering during the seal hunt and was being towed by a coast guard icebreaker at the time.
Two crew members were rescued by a nearby fishing boat.
Eaves said L’Acadien II’s clutch was engaged during the tow, sending the boat out of the icebreaker’s wake and into the ice. He couldn’t say if it was deliberate or because of mechanical failure.
The boat hit the ice at full speed, attempting to break it. It went on top of the ice before capsizing, dumping its crew into the water.
Eaves wouldn’t say who was to blame for the accident, or what could have been done differently to prevent it.
The report also says the towline was kept short and lookouts were in place. That contradicts eyewitness accounts from a second fishing boat in the area.
The report makes two recommendations. Firstly, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans should put guidelines in place for towing a vessel through ice. Secondly, the Department of Transportation must make sure all fishing vessels operating in ice are structurally sound to do so.
In a written statement, Canada’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Gail Shea, said the coast guard will read the report and consider the recommendations.
