The Transportation Safety Board is urging stronger safety measures after a crew member was seriously injured when a lifeboat fell from a commercial vessel during a routine safety check.

The incident occurred Sept. 2, 2023 on the bulk carrier Golden Zhejiang, which was anchored in the Trincomali Channel off the southeast coast of Vancouver Island.

Two engineers were conducting a safety check on the Hong Kong-registered vessel’s free-fall lifeboat when the release mechanism was accidentally activated, causing the 29-seat, 4,400-kilogram lifeboat to slide off its launch pad and fall 19 metres into the water with an engineer inside.

The engineer, who was not secured in a seat, was found unconscious with head injuries. He was taken to hospital and sustained permanent life-changing injuries a

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