Missing pin blamed for B.C. ferry mishap

VICTORIA, British Columbia – A missing cotter pin worth pennies is being blamed for last week’s ferry accident at busy Horseshoe Bay terminal.

Twenty-two boats at a nearby marina were crushed when the 460-foot ferry Queen of Oak Bay lost power on its approach.

The missing cotter pin allowed a nut to come off a device linking the engine controls on the bridge to one of the vessel’s two engines, said Mark Collins, vice president of engineering for B.C. Ferries. That allowed both engines to increase speed, eventually tripping control mechanisms that released the ship’s clutches, disengaging the engines from the propellers at the bow and stern.

“No engines. Propulsion is lost. No thrust,” Collins explained.

The cotter pin retainer had put in 20 years of service without a problem, he said. “I think we’re looking at an anomaly here, we’re not looking at a failure of basic design.”

The pin was part of a device that was removed from the vessel during a recent $35 million refit and then reinstalled. The ferry had been back in service for less than two weeks when the accident occurred during a scheduled run to Nanaimo.

Engineers say it’s not likely a similar incident would occur, but that all ships in the B.C. Ferries fleet were checked as a precaution.

After sea trials Wednesday, Transport Canada cleared the Queen of Oak Bay to return to service today.