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Report into sinking of fishing vessel and death of crew member published

On Nov 21, 2024, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada released its report into the sinking of the Mucktown Girl' and the loss of one of its five crew memberson March 12, 2022, on the Scotian Shelf. The Cape Islander was fishing 82.7 miles southeast of Canso when, near midnight on March 11, its master radioed the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre to report electrical issues. A storm was approaching, with southerly winds forecasted to reach 50 knots. With no vessels in the area available to tow the ship, the Canadian Coast Guard vessel 'Jean Goodwill' was dispatched from Sydney. By the time of its arrival seven hours later, the 'Mucktown Girl' had lost power and was drifting. A fast rescue boat was lowered, bringing two VHF radios to the 'Mucktown Girl to allow for communication. “Because there was no damage to the vessel, it was initially assessed as disabled, not in distress or imminent distress, and therefore neither the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre staff nor the master of the 'Jean Goodwill' suggested removing some or all the crew of the vessel. However, the 'Jean Goodwill' had no means to remove crew from the disabled vessel after weather conditions had deteriorated well beyond the specified operating limits of its fast rescue craft. With weather fast approaching, it was decided to increase the towing speed to nine knots in an attempt to reach the protection of Chedabucto Bay ahead of the storm. That speed was later dropped to eight knots as winds increased. The icebreaker extended its towline additionally to reduce the force on the much smaller fishing vessel. About six hours into the tow, the bollard on the' Mucktown Girl' failed, releasing the tow line. The winds were blowing 30-35 knots with 2.5-metre seas, and both were getting worse quickly. Within half an hour the winds had increased to up to 45 knots and waves had grown to four metres, far beyond the safe operating envelope of the coast guard’s fast response craft. The decision was made for the 'Jean Goodwill' to stand by and not seek to evacuate the crew by helicopter. To avoid striking the 'Mucktown Girl' and to lessen the waves it was tackling, the 'Jean Goodwill' moved 3.5 nautical miles away and kept in regular contact with the drifting Cape Islander. Just minutes after a 6 a.m. check-in, the 'Mucktown Girl' reported a foot and a half of water on the deck and ordered the evacuation of the vessel. The crew donned immersion suits and got into a liferaft that was initially left tied to the 'Mucktown Girl'. Upon hearing the vessel was going down, the 'Jean Goodwill' pounded at full speed toward the position. With its own rear deck awash, the crew of the icebreaker struggled to remove a scramble net and install it down the side of their vessel. Recently installed wooden decking came loose on the icebreaker’s deck and was washed around with the failed towing equipment, smashing into crewmembers. A large wave struck the 'Jean Goodwill', causing it to roll more than 30 degrees. On the main deck, the chief officer was seriously injured when he was swept against the inner bulwark. Several crew members were nearly washed overboard. Once the bridge team had learned of the chief officer’s injury, an announcement was made over the vessel’s intercom calling all available crew to the deck. A crew member on the icebreaker’s bridge was incapacitated when the ship was tossed by the seas. The crew pushed on, got the scramble net down the side and lowered a Jacob’s ladder as they came within five metres of the life raft. In the storm, radio contact with the 'Mucktown Grrl'’s master aboard the liferaft had been lost and the injury to the chief officer on the 'Jean Goodwill’s deck limited communication with its own wheelhouse. Without invitation from the 'Jean Goodwill', one of the fishermen jumped from the raft and swam toward the icebreaker’s scramble net. After several attempts and with help from the coast guard crew, he was hauled aboard. Then another fisherman jumped in the water and swam for it, also making it aboard. Two more jumped in the water while the captain remained in the raft. One made it to the scramble net and another got to the Jacob’s ladder hanging down the side of the icebreaker. Both crew members were hit by a wave, thrown back into the sea, and then drifted toward the life raft. The master of the 'Mucktown Girl', who was still in the liferaft, was able to grab hold of both crew members. He helped crew member 4 into the liferaft but lost hold of crew member 3, who drifted toward the Jean Goodwill’s stern. Crew member 3 was Jeremy Hart, 35. He would be found and retrieved hours later by a Cormorant helicopter and taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The captain and crew member aboard the liferaft were rescued. The TSB made recommendations around equipment, such as the type of scramble nets to be carried by vessels, and about training with them in realistic scenarios. Those nets have already been replaced by the coast guard. As well, it raised concerns about underestimating the level of risk while towing, resulting in an increased likelihood of injuries and loss of life.

One fisherman died in shipwreck

On March 12, 2022, at 5 a.m., the 'Mucktown Girl'requested assistance due to engine problems 160 kilometres southeast of Canso, N.S. by the Halifax JRCC. An attempt by the Coast Guard vessel 'Jean Goodwill' to tow the vessel to Mulgrave failed in the evening. The vessel took on water, and shortly after 6 a.m. on March 13, the crew boarded a life-raft. Four of the crew made the transfer from the life-raft to the Coast Guard vessel, but one fisherman, the 35-year-old Jeremy Hart of Windsor Junction, N.S., fell into the water. All crew on the fishing vessel were wearing immersion suits. A Cormorant helicopter was deployed to look for the missing fisherman and located him. He was hoisted and transported to hospital in Sydney where he was pronounced dead.