The owners of tugboat Ingenika, that sank in coastal waters south of Kitimat, B.C., causing the death of two mariners, have pleaded guilty to safety charges.
In particular, Wainwright Marine Services and James Geoffrey Bates, the president of parent company Bates Properties Ltd., were each charged in February with eight counts of violating occupational health and safety provisions.
To remind, on 10th February 2021, the boat had been towing a barge toward the Rio Tinto Kemano Generating Station south of Kitimat.
Due to the bad weather the boat had sunk in the turbulent, frigid waters of the Gardner Canal. In this accidents, the captain Troy Pearson and one crew member died.
As informed, Wainwright pleaded guilty to three of the eight charges against the company, and Bates pleaded guilty to one.
Despite the experience of Captain Pearson on the water, the weather conditions were absolutely the worst and it was impossible to go out in.
In addition, the Ingenika was too small to be towing such a large barge, especially in hurricane-force winds.
