A recent investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) revealed that a barge that capsized in Frobisher Bay in 2023 was overloaded due to crew members being unaware of proper procedures. The incident occurred on Oct. 27, 2023, near the Iqaluit port, where the barge tipped, causing a crew member and 23 shipping containers to fall into the water. The crew member was rescued unconscious after eight minutes and was hospitalized for hypothermia and other injuries. Sixteen of the containers were later recovered.
The TSB released its findings on Tuesday, highlighting that the barge was operating beyond its stability limits and struggling to regain balance after encountering waves in the bay. Investigators discovered that although the company had a cargo loading plan for the deck, it was not effectively communicated to the crew. Moreover, there were no established procedures for container handling, barge loading, and cargo securing, leading to the crew relying on past experiences, resulting in overloading the barge and operating with insufficient crew members.
Furthermore, the investigation revealed that the crew lacked proper rescue equipment such as life rings and gaffs. Despite the crew member wearing an inflated personal floatation device (PFD), it took three others to pull him onto a container after falling overboard. The report suggested that a flotation suit would have aided in floating and provided thermal protection in such situations.
Following the incident, NEAS Inc., the managing company, requested a loading guide for their barges, a new safety manual was integrated into Transport Nanuk Inc.’s system, and a recovery device known as Jason’s Cradle was installed on each tug boat. In 2024, a contractor located one of the missing seven shipping containers. While Transport Nanuk Inc. had plans for salvage operations in August 2025, the report did not provide details on the outcome of these operations.