Overloading, unknown protocols caused Iqaluit barge capsize, investigation finds

A capsized barge that sent a crew member and several shipping containers into Frobisher Bay in 2023 was overloaded and crew members were unaware of proper procedures, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has found. 

On Oct. 27, 2023, a barge near the Iqaluit port tipped and sent a crew member and 23 shipping containers into the water. The person was recovered unconscious eight minutes later and sent to the hospital to be treated for hypothermia and other injuries. Sixteen of the containers were recovered. 

The TSB released its report Tuesday into what caused the incident and how to prevent similar events in the future. 

Investigators found that the ship was operating beyond its stability limits and struggling to right itself after tilting with the bay’s waves.

The TSB found that while the company operating the barge did have a plan for how much cargo could be loaded onto the deck, that plan wasn’t communicated to the crew and remained onshore. The company also had no procedures for handling the containers, loading the barges and securing cargo onto the barges. As a result, crew members relied on previous experience to load the vessel, ultimately overloading the barge and operating with fewer crew members than required.  

TSB’s investigation also found that staff didn’t have the proper life rings and gaffs that can help rescue someone from the water. While the crew member who fell overboard’s personal floatation device (PFD) was inflated, it took three other people to haul him onto a container.

The man was wearing several layers of work clothing that helped him retain body heat but added a lot of weight when wet. A flotation suit, or flotation jacket and pants, would have helped him float and offered thermal protection, the report says. 

Since the incident, the managing company, NEAS Inc., has requested a loading guide for the company’s barges, a new safety manual was added to Transport Nanuk Inc.’s system, and a recovery device — called Jason’s Cradle — was installed on each tug boat. 

A contractor found one of the additional seven missing shipping containers in 2024. The report notes that Transport Nanuk Inc. planned to continue salvage operations in Aug. 2025 but does not indicate the result of those operations.