Calls for Risk Mitigation for Vessels in Canadian Arctic

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is calling for mandatory risk mitigation measures for vessels operating in the Canadian Arctic after a passenger boat ran aground nearly three years ago, according to Eye on the Arctic.

The vessel Akademik Ioffe was grounded in the western Gulf Boothia near Kugaaruk, Nunavut, with 102 passengers and 61 crew on board in August 2018.

The coast guard, along with the Canadian military, evacuated all passengers and the ship had serious damage to its hull. It also spilled 81 litres of fuel oil into the ocean.

The board says the vessel’s safety operations didn’t meet the international standard and emergency procedures for the vessel being grounded didn’t exist.