A tugboat operator has pleaded guilty to some charges stemming from a fatal incident off the coast of Kitimat in 2021.
In February of that year, the tugboat Ingenika sank amid rough waters near the Gardner Canal while transporting equipment to Rio Tinto.
That incident claimed the lives of ship Captain Troy Pearson and fellow crew member Charley Cragg, who was on his first shift at the time.
On the two year anniversary of the tragic incident, eight charges were laid against the tugboat’s operator under the BC Workers Compensation Act.
Now, operator Wainwright Marine Services and director James Geoffrey Bates have reached a plea deal which will see Bates avoid jail time.
It also includes a proposed $310,000 in fines, with Bates filing a guilty plea for one charge, and the company for another three.
Each are relating to failures to provide adequate training and ensure health and safety measures are in place.
Initially, the charges had come with possible fines of up to $777,000 and six months in jail.
A Transportation Safety Board report from last year found that the tugboat had not been inspected once in its 50 years of service.
Under current regulations, tugs weighing less than 15 tonnes are not required to undergo regular inspections.
