The Transportation Safety Board released its report into the Grounding of the Arca 1 Off Sydney NS. The investigation found that
the main propulsion clutch was not checked and adjusted before or during the voyage as per the manufacturer’s recommendation. As a result, the clutch failed due to slippage, causing the loss of port propulsion and a reduction of vessel speed. The loss of speed increased the time required to reach Sydney, preventing the vessel’s arrival before weather deteriorated. The vessel gradually could not continue moving forward in the severe weather, causing it to drift to the west. The anchor was deployed to attempt to secure the vessel, but it could not hold and the vessel continued to drift further west towards the shore until it ran aground.
as well, the report notes
the master was not qualified to act as master of the vessel and the motorman was not qualified to act as chief engineer. Voyage planning was carried out in a manner that was not consistent with best practices, as contingencies and limitations were not taken into account.
You can read the Report Here (PDF).
