The city is blaming dense fog for a ferry accident it did not report in April that saw the Thomas Rennie breach the safety perimeter around the 海角社区官网Island airport, striking the facility in the area of the eastern runway.
The Marine Exclusion Zone (MEZ), which is ringed by buoys and well-known to sailors in the harbour, is meant to keep watercraft聽鈥 including ferries聽鈥 away from the airport, to ensure aviation safety.
According to a report from Canada鈥檚 Transportation Safety Board, the accident took place at 10:35 p.m. on April 30, with about 16 people aboard the ferry. There were no reported injuries. There is a 100-foot buffer between the end of the runway and the shoreline.
鈥淭he accident was a result of severely dense fog,鈥 according to a City of 海角社区官网spokesperson. 鈥淪taff were unable to detect objects on radar and unable to see visually the airport lights,聽Hanlan鈥檚 Point dock, and markers.鈥
The accident comes to light as the city is facing increased scrutiny over the safety and maintenance of its aging ferry fleet, which still transports 1.4 million passengers from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal to three locations on the 海角社区官网islands each year. The vessels are now breaking down so frequently the city has had to resort to posting notices warning of delays and encouraging people to use water taxis.聽
The ferries are between 61 and 114 years old.聽New electric ferries are not expected to arrive until at least 2026-27.
The city said that following the accident, the Thomas Rennie underwent repairs and trials between May 10 and June 27 and was put back into service.聽
鈥淭o prevent future incidents, the City is constantly reviewing and improving its staff training practices.鈥
The public was not informed, and the accident came as news to PortsToronto, the federal public authority that regulates navigation within the harbour and owns and operates Billy Bishop Airport.
鈥淲e did not receive notice of the incident or a report from TSB, and we were not notified by the City of 海角社区官网of the incident,鈥 said Ports海角社区官网spokesperson Jessica Pellerin. 鈥淭he operator of the ferry is required to report incidents to the TSB, however no report or notice was shared with PortsToronto, although that would have been our expectation.”
The MEZ is monitored by Nav Canada using radar.
The airport tower only monitors the MEZ and associated radar when the airfield is in active operation聽鈥 when aircraft are arriving and departing on the runway聽鈥 according to Pellerin.
鈥淕iven that the last flight that evening came in at 10:05 p.m., the tower was not monitoring the MEZ at 10:25 p.m. when the ferry was reported to have entered the exclusion zone,鈥 she said.
The city reported the accident to the TSB. Neither reported it to PortsToronto.
The city said it did not immediately notify Ports海角社区官网of the incident, but failed to explain whether it was mandated to do so and why it did not notify the agency in the months following the accident.
鈥淭he City of 海角社区官网is required to report many types of incidents to Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board as part of our regulatory requirements,鈥 the city said in response to questions from the Star.
鈥淚n this case, as it was not initially confirmed that the vessel had entered the airport鈥檚 property, it was not reported to PortsToronto,鈥 the city said in a statement in response to questions from the Star.
Former 海角社区官网ferry captain Brian Smith, who has been sounding the alarm about 海角社区官网ferry safety for nearly a decade, said fog should not have prevented the safe operation of the vessel.
鈥淚t was dense fog, but we have operated in similar to worse conditions,鈥 said Smith.
鈥淭his 鈥 never should have happened.鈥
The Transportation Safety Board鈥檚 official report did not indicate what the ferry struck on April 30. The location of the accident was confirmed in response to questions from the Star.聽
鈥淪ince the occurrence is a Class 5聽it is not subject to comprehensive investigations,鈥 said Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Nic Defalco.
The TSB is聽the national agency charged with ensuring transportation safety in Canada, including marine safety.聽
According to the TSB鈥檚 website, a class 5 occurrence 鈥渉as little likelihood of identifying new safety lessons that will advance transportation safety.鈥
鈥淒ata on Class 5 occurrences are recorded in suitable scope for possible future safety analysis, statistical reporting, or archival purposes.鈥
A TSB report issued in August blamed equipment failure and speed for the crash of the Sam McBride in 2020, which sent 20 people to hospital. The William Inglis ferry was taken out of service after a mechanical failure resulted in a hard docking at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal on Sept. 5. No injuries were reported in that incident.
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