F/T AMERICAN DYNASTY Incident Report: Canadian Transportation Board Finds American Seafoods Company Lacked Safety Procedures in 2013 Allision

The Canadian Transportation Board has issued a report criticizing American Seafoods Company for a lack of safety preparedness in a 2013 allision between AMERICAN DYNASTY and Canadian Frigate HMSC WINNIPEG. AMERICAN DYNASTY is a 272-foot American factory trawler run by a crew of up to 150 crewmen which experienced an electrical blackout while docking in Esquimalt, Victoria B.C., in 2013. During the blackout, the vessel gained speed and veered to the starboard before striking the WINNIPEG. The Safety Board noted that the auxiliary motors did not automatically turn on during the black out, and there was a breakdown in communication between the bridge and engineering department, resulting in the engineer not knowing the need to take urgent action to avoid the allision.

The Transportation Board stated: “The investigation found that, without procedures and comprehensive emergency drills, crews may not be proficient in taking mitigating action during an emergency. Effective management of safety requires individuals at all levels of an organization to identify and manage risks. In this occurrence, there were indications that aspects of safety associated with emergency preparedness and crew familiarization were not managed effectively.”

No injuries to the crew of AMERICAN DYNASTY were reported. However, six shipyard workers aboard WINNIPEG were reported to have suffered injuries. Although the impact was relatively slow, the size and power of these ships resulted in serious damage to both vessels.