News release

The on-site team from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) investigating the 25 October 2015 accident involving the passenger vessel Leviathan II has temporarily departed Tofino, but the investigation continues.

The vessel has been refloated and towed to a secure location monitored by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. A broader team of TSB experts is being mobilized to plan the detailed vessel testing and will return in the coming days to conduct a thorough examination of the vessel.

Progress to date

Over the past days, the investigation team has:

• continued to interview survivors, first responders from the Canadian Coast Guard, and the fishermen who were first on the scene to rescue passengers and crew;
• visited the vessel to examine and photograph what they could see;
• recovered key electronic equipment from the vessel which is being sent to the TSB Engineering Laboratory (Lab) in Ottawa for careful examination.

Next steps

Investigators continue to gather information and collect data in order to validate the information they have, and to help determine the sequence of events leading up to the capsizing. Further, the team has identified a series of tests to be completed, and the plotter (positioning system) will be examined at the Lab. In the coming days, weeks and months, the TSB experts will:

• examine the vessel, verify stability information, and a TSB naval architect will assess its stability;
• review any modifications that have been made to the vessel;
• review regulatory requirements and history of inspections;
• download and analyze the data contained in the recovered electronic equipment;
• continue interviews with survivors, witnesses, the company, Transport Canada, and with other people who could contribute important information;
• examine documentation from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre concerning search and rescue response;
• examine lifesaving equipment on board; and
• analyze environmental and meteorological data.

If at any stage during the investigation the TSB identifies any safety deficiencies, it will not hesitate to make this information public and will communicate directly with the regulators, the industry and with any other relevant stakeholders.

Visit the active investigation page for more information about this investigation.