Report: Sunken Ferry Crew Unfamiliar with Equipment

June 7, 2006

According to sources, a report says crew of sunken ferry may have been unfamiliar with equipment. A suggestion is being made that bridge crew on the Queen of the North were unfamiliar with newly installed steering equipment. A preliminary finding into the ferry sinking also says the crew was so unacquainted with the new electronic equipment's night settings that they turned off a monitor displaying their course. In a letter to B.C. Ferries CEO David Hahn a Safety Board Investigator said that action negated the benefits of the real-time display of the vessel's track and position vis-à-vis the planned courses and course alterations.

In the meantime, an order has gone out that all ship's officers who stand a navigational watch must sign documentation that they are sufficiently familiar with bridge equipment. Source: CKNW

Related News

Houthi Leader Vows to Escalate Attacks on Merchant Shipping US Sends Warship Through Taiwan Strait Ahead of Presidential Inauguration Unfinished Hornbeck MPSV Arrives at Eastern for Build Completion ULA Orders Rocket Transport Ship from Bollinger Authorities Identify Sixth Bridge Collapse Victim