The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) today released its investigation report (M14A0051) into the 14 March 2014 flooding, grounding, and subsequent evacuation of the bulk carrier John I off the southwest coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. There were no injuries to the 23 crew members.

We covered the grounding and tow in a couple of posts as events unfolded.
 
The John I entered ice-covered waters off the southwest coast of Newfoundland on its way to Montreal, Quebec, from Las Palmas, Spain. After the engine cooling water temperature began to rise, the crew opened the sea water strainer housing and found that the strainer was plugged. As the crew began removing ice and slush from the strainer, water began to overflow from the open strainer housing. When the crew attempted to close the leaking sea chest valve to stop the flow of water, its operating mechanism failed. Sea water began to enter the vessel in an uncontrolled manner, overflowing into the engine room. The master then ordered the vessel to be blacked out, causing it to drift. As the vessel drifted towards the shore, commercial towing assistance was requested, but delayed due to the weather.
Upon its arrival on scene, the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Earl Grey offered to tow the John I away from the shore. Further delays were encountered while the John I’s master conferred with the vessel’s managing company, the CCG and the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC). When the master finally accepted the tow, the first attempt to establish a tow line failed, and the vessel’s proximity to the shoals did not allow for completion of a second attempt. The John I then ran aground on the shoals. The crew members were evacuated by helicopter. The vessel’s hull sustained minor damage.
The investigation found that warmed sea water from the engine cooling system was being partially discharged overboard and partially returned to the main sea water pump suction, rather than being recirculated to the low sea chest to prevent ice buildup. The strainer became plugged with ice and slush. The sea chest valve was prevented from fully closing, likely due to ice buildup, and the valve operating mechanism failed due to overstress when the crew forcibly attempted to close it, which led to the flooding.
The JRCC did not have the authority to direct the master of the John I to accept the tow. Neither the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Environmental Response nor Transport Canada, both of which had the authority to direct the vessel to accept the tow, were actively involved at an earlier stage when it was clear that the time to take action was running out and the environmental risks posed by the vessel going aground were increasing. The delay in starting the towing operation was caused both by the master’s reluctance to accept the tow and by the way that authorities managed the situation. If all authorities responsible for dealing with an emergency are not involved in a timely and coordinated manner, there is a risk that response options will be limited and the situation will escalate

After the owners failed to come up with a reasonable salvage plan, the coast guard turned over responaibility of the salvage to RMI Marine.

The Mini Sub is apparently still aboard, and the source of the flooding is still unknown, though some appears to be tidal. The Coast guard Published the following Pictures:

Spotted in the North West arm.
Check your ThruHulls boat owners.

A Bulker anchored in English Bay in Vancouver spilled several tons of Bunker fuel into the harbour yesterday, Most of the oil has now been collected, it has however reached land in several places.

This incident has angered environmentalists, who are now citing this as an example of why tankers in northern BC waters are a dangerous idea. While this leak, is the equivalent of a leaky fuel tank in your car, it appears that the spill was reported 9 hours before a response was mobilized.

The real issue in this case is not that fuel spilled (though this is unusual, needs to be investigated, and the crew charged if they did something illegal) but that the response took 9 hours. If the response was quicker, and oil booms setup, in all likely hood the slick would have remained around the ship and not reached shore.

Could it happen here? sure. In fact it has. HMCS Preserver left a valve open in 2011 and spilled several tons of fuel by Imperial Oil. Quick action contained the spill, and we only found out about it via the media.