Post by ferryfast admin on Mar 27, 2006 22:47:29 GMT -5
B.C. ferry sank in single piece, video shows
TERRY WEBER
Globe and Mail Update
First video footage from a downed British Columbia ferry suggest the vessel apparently sank in a single piece but the whereabouts of two missing passengers remains a mystery.
A three-hour mini sub dive located the Queen of the North intact in about 420 metres of water. The vessel was found resting on its keel.
Silt covers the hull up to the rubbing strake — a horizontal piece of material on the outside of a ship used to prevent damage from rubbing up against a pier or dock — and above in some areas, according to B.C. Ferries.
There was no sign of the two missing passengers.
The Queen of the North sank off B.C.'s Gil Island in Wright Sound after drifting off course and hitting a rock shortly after midnight last Wednesday.
The ferry had been heading south on an overnight run to Port Hardy from Prince Rupert when the accident occurred.
A total of 99 passengers and crew members were rescued from the scene, helped by residents of the nearby village of Hartley Bay.
Initially, it was believed all aboard had survived the disaster. However, investigators were later unable to account for a B.C. couple, Gerald Foisey and Shirley Rosette.
They boarded the ferry last Tuesday in Prince Rupert and have not been accounted for since. The RCMP is investigating their disappearance.
Sunday's video footage has been reviewed by B.C. Ferries and the Transportation Safety Board — which is investigating the accident — as well as representatives of Transport Canada and the RCMP.
Another dive is expected for Monday to gather more information.
Although fears have arisen about the environmental impact of the sinking — the Queen of the North carried 220,000 litres of No. 2 diesel fuel, 20,000 litres of light oil and 220 litres of hydraulic oil — B.C. Ferries said the initial investigation showed "very little oil emanating from the vessel."
Over the weekend, investigators with the Transportation Safety Board said at this point there appears to be no sign of any kind of mechanical failure with the main engine or steering gear.
The incident is not the first in recent memory involving a B.C. ferry.
Last June, the Queen of Oak Bay smashed into a number of smaller boats after losing power on its approach to Horseshoe Bay terminal.
Investigators linked the accident to a pin that was inadvertently left out during a refit.
Without the pin, a nut came off a device linking the engine controls on the bridge to one of the vessel's two engines. Both engines increased speed, tripping control mechanisms that released the ship's clutches, disengaging the engines from propellers at the bow and stern, according to a technical report released to the media.
TERRY WEBER
Globe and Mail Update
First video footage from a downed British Columbia ferry suggest the vessel apparently sank in a single piece but the whereabouts of two missing passengers remains a mystery.
A three-hour mini sub dive located the Queen of the North intact in about 420 metres of water. The vessel was found resting on its keel.
Silt covers the hull up to the rubbing strake — a horizontal piece of material on the outside of a ship used to prevent damage from rubbing up against a pier or dock — and above in some areas, according to B.C. Ferries.
There was no sign of the two missing passengers.
The Queen of the North sank off B.C.'s Gil Island in Wright Sound after drifting off course and hitting a rock shortly after midnight last Wednesday.
The ferry had been heading south on an overnight run to Port Hardy from Prince Rupert when the accident occurred.
A total of 99 passengers and crew members were rescued from the scene, helped by residents of the nearby village of Hartley Bay.
Initially, it was believed all aboard had survived the disaster. However, investigators were later unable to account for a B.C. couple, Gerald Foisey and Shirley Rosette.
They boarded the ferry last Tuesday in Prince Rupert and have not been accounted for since. The RCMP is investigating their disappearance.
Sunday's video footage has been reviewed by B.C. Ferries and the Transportation Safety Board — which is investigating the accident — as well as representatives of Transport Canada and the RCMP.
Another dive is expected for Monday to gather more information.
Although fears have arisen about the environmental impact of the sinking — the Queen of the North carried 220,000 litres of No. 2 diesel fuel, 20,000 litres of light oil and 220 litres of hydraulic oil — B.C. Ferries said the initial investigation showed "very little oil emanating from the vessel."
Over the weekend, investigators with the Transportation Safety Board said at this point there appears to be no sign of any kind of mechanical failure with the main engine or steering gear.
The incident is not the first in recent memory involving a B.C. ferry.
Last June, the Queen of Oak Bay smashed into a number of smaller boats after losing power on its approach to Horseshoe Bay terminal.
Investigators linked the accident to a pin that was inadvertently left out during a refit.
Without the pin, a nut came off a device linking the engine controls on the bridge to one of the vessel's two engines. Both engines increased speed, tripping control mechanisms that released the ship's clutches, disengaging the engines from propellers at the bow and stern, according to a technical report released to the media.