B.C. coastal accident timeline

TIMELINE: B.C. coastal accident history

June 2005, Horseshoe Bay: Ferry Queen of Oak Bay missed the dock and smashed through small boats moored at Marina. Accident blamed on mechanical failure/missing pin. No one was hurt.

November 2003, Texada Island - Powell River: North Island Princess crashed into the dock at Powell River. Accident caused by mechanical failure. Vehicles on board damaged, one woman suffered knee injury.

May 2003, central coast: An American pockey cruise ship sank of the central coast near Shearwater. Ship hit a rock and water entered it. No one was injured.

August 2002, entrance to Fraser River: Commercial fishing boat Cap Rouge II capsized. Two people jumped overboard and climbed on a skiff being towed by vessell. The remaining five people on board, including two children, drowned. Capsizing caused by instability.

July 2002, Kelsey Bay: Small Fishing vessell Fritzi-Ann capsized while en route from Port Hardy to Comox. No one injured.

June 2002, Malaspina Straight, northwest of Powell River: Log salvage vessel Bruce Brown took on water and sank. Two people who had been on board were found some distance from the tug. One died of hypothermia, the other drowned. Problem with a hose let seawater into the bilges.

March 2002, near Tsawwassen ferry terminal: B.C. Ferry Queen of Alberni ollided with Japanese Bulk Carrier Shinway Maru. Two people on board the ferry were seriously injured. There was dense fog. Transportation Safety Board said neither vessell used all available means to assess risk.

October 2001, Queen Charlotte Sound: Small fishing vessel Kella-Lee encountered heavy seas and sank. Three crew members and owner/operator abandoned vessel for a liferaft. Search and Rescue saved two of the crew. Third crew member and owner/operator succumbed to hypothermia and drowned.

September 2000, Swartz Bay: Spirit of Vancouver collided with a pleasure boat. Pleasure boat sank. Operator of the boat, Washington State man died of heart attack en route to hospital. Female passenger died three days later of injuries.

March 2000, Seaforth Channel (near Bella Bella): Small fishing vessel Lori Cathlynn capsized, all five crew members safely recovered.

August 1999, Vancouver Harbour: Pleasure craft Sunboy collided with tug Jose Narvaez. Sunboy capsized, 14 people on board the pleasure craft. Nine were rescued and survived, four drowned, one remains missing and is presumed drowned. Causes: pleasure craft operator lacking knowledge of navigation cues. Tug/barge was missing side light.

June 1999, off Langara Island (Queen Charlotte Islands): Sport fishing vessel Marabell. Eight capsized in heavy swells. Owner operator died, other person boarded capsized hull and was rescued. Occupants, guests at a fishing lodge, were unaware of weather conditions, and operator didn't have necessary boat-handling skills.

March 1998, off Tofino: Operator and one passenger on a whale watching vessel died after the boat was swamped. Two other passengers were rescued about 2 hours later. Transportation Safety Board said operator was unaware of conditions, boat also lacked medium range emergency communication so search and rescue was delayed.

December 1997, Pylades Channel: Small fishing vessel Pacific Charmer sunk. Two crews and a Fisheries Department observer were rescued, two remaining crew members died of hypothermia/drowning. Stability issues cited.

July 1997, Straight of Georgia: Fishing Vessel Westisle collided with an empty barge pushed by tug Coastal Destinations. No injuries both operators didn't follow collision regulations and didn't communicate intentions to each other.

March 1997, Raymond Passage (central coast): A Fast-Rescue Craft dispatched from Canadian Coast Guard ship "Gordon Reid" grounded while responding to a search and rescue call. The FCR G.R.1 struck a rock. Three crew members were tossed from the boat and sustained various injuries. The FCR was going in the wrong direction (steering by radar only) at a very high speed.

August 1996, Swartz Bay: Mayne Queen was grounded as it tried to leave Swartz Bay terminal. Caused by steering failure after power supply was left disconnected during routine tests. No injuries.

November 1995, Bowen Island: Mayne Queen smashed into a marina as it was leaving Snug Cove. Accident caused by motor problems. Several boats at the marina damaged, one sunk.

August 1992, Departure Bay: Queen of New Westminster pulled away from the dock with a van still on the ramp. Vvehicle fell onto the lower deck then into the water. Three people died, one seriously injured. Transportation Safety Board ruled proper clearance procedures were not followed

1992, Bowen Island: B.C. Ferry crashed into a marina, damaging some boats.

-Source: CBC News

CBC News Posted: Mar 22, 2006 1:02 PM EST | Last Updated: March 22, 2006