Cruise ship admonished for ‘uncoordinated’ response in overboard death

By News Staff

A Transportation Safety Board report into the death of a London, Ont., man who fell off a small cruise ship and drowned notes a number of procedures and protocols were not followed on the night of the tragedy.

Back on June 13, 2015, the Northern Spirit I was hosting a private evening cruise on Lake Ontario. The vessel was just over seven kilometres west of Toronto when Keith White, who was among the 437 passengers aboard the boat, fell overboard from the second deck. A search and rescue by the crew and the police marine unit was unable to find him. His body eventually turned up 18 days later in Humber Bay.

The TSB investigation determined that White was intoxicated and had been consuming alcohol before boarding the vessel, yet this was not detected by security or crew during pre-screening as passengers entered the boat. While it’s possible that, at the time of boarding, White did not display outward signs of being intoxicated, the report notes he was observed “being loud and stumbling,” adding he was not denied alcohol service while on board.

The report also noted that the emergency response by the crew was uncoordinated and the signal to initiate the “man overboard” procedures was not sounded.

The TSB concluded that the alarm was not sounded “so as not to further alarm the passengers” and that the crew were only made aware of the situation “by word-of-mouth.”

The report also found that while emergency procedures may be well documented and visually displayed, the crew members of the Northern Spirit I did not perform any “man overboard” drills.

White’s family is pursuing legal action against against Mariposa Cruises for wrongful death. In a statement released following publication of the report, the family says it is “very concerned that the industry known as ‘booze cruises’ continues to be a high risk business.” They called on Transport Canada and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario to have more stringent controls in place for these types of vessels.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today