Transportation Board releases more findings on the Queen of the North sinking

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has released another bit of its investigation into the sinking of the Queen of the North. The latest letter from the Board, focused on the record keeping practices of the Ferry Corporation.

The highlighted aspect of this part of the investigation was the fact that while BC Ferries kept a manifest of passengers at the Ferry Terminal in Prince Rupert, there was no corresponding count made at the time of boarding the ferry.

It apparently is a situation that has been addressed by the Corporation, which now apparently issues boarding numbers to be cross referenced with the main manifest.

The ongoing investigation into the sinking of the Queen of the North is expected to continue for a number of months yet, with these "letters" released from time to time depending on their importance.

The Globe and Mail has a full report on the latest bit of information released.

Ferry head count faulty, board finds
PETTI FONG
The Globe and Mail
August 12, 2006

VANCOUVER

-- As part of its investigation into the March sinking of the Queen of the North, the Transportation Safety Board has found that B.C. Ferries failed to count and record the names of passengers as they boarded the vessel.

Although shore-side personnel prepared a manifest according to company procedures that recorded the number of passengers who should have been on board, there was no count made of passengers as they got on the vessel.

Initially, B.C. Ferries said all 101 passengers and crew on board the ferry were rescued after the midnight sinking on March 22.

Hours after passengers and crew abandoned the vessel and arrived safely in Prince Rupert, however, the concerns of a man who couldn't locate his brother and sister-in-law alerted ferry officials to two missing passengers.

Gerald Foisey and Shirley Rossette are believed to have drowned in the sinking. Their bodies have never been recovered.

"There was no physical count made of passengers as they boarded the vessel, nor were their names recorded," wrote Marcel Ayeko, acting director of investigations in the marine section for the TSB in a letter to the acting director-general of marine safety in Transport Canada.
The letter was released yesterday by B.C. Ferries.

During and after the sinking of the Queen of the North, investigators found those responsible for ensuring all passengers had been accounted for had difficulty establishing the total count.
Initial counts of passengers were head counts and later counts included the compilation of a list of names of those who had been rescued.

After the sinking, B.C. Ferries updated its passenger reservation system.
At the terminal, all passengers are issued a boarding number, which is then cross-checked against the names on the manifest.

"In an emergency, where abandoning of the vessel is the only recourse, an accurate tally of the number of people aboard is critical for well-organized abandonment and efficient search-and-rescue operations," the letter said.

"A properly detailed passenger and crew information system can help in identifying any missing people, their infirmities [if any] and also their likely location aboard the vessel."

Mr. Ayeko said the benefits of a well-designed identification system have been recognized and implemented by many cruise ship and ferry operators. In 2000, when a fire broke out on the cruise ship NieuwAmsterdam, which was en route to Glacier National Park with more than 1,000 passengers on board, Mr. Ayeko noted that two missing passengers were quickly identified by a roll call from the manifest.

That identification enabled crew members to focus their search near the passengers' cabin on board the Nieuw Amsterdam.