The whale-watching ship that capsized off British Columbia's coast, killing five people, passed a stability test after an observation deck was added when it was converted from a tugboat, Transport Canada said Thursday.
Okay. So, it passed a stability test in 1996. Sorry but, ships change alot in 19 years. Gear is added, gear is removed, configurations change. Given that the vessel was in constant use as what amounts to a passenger ferry you'd think it would have been tested at the least, every 5 years.
Four British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. vessels are past their due dates for stability tests, according to a document from the publicly-owned company. The federal regulator Transport Canada requires lightship surveys to be performed at least every five years. The tests check for changes in weight, which may affect a vessel's stability.
http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Transpo ... ipSurveys/