Tug Girding

Between 2005 and 2018, the TSB received reports of 26 girding situations resulting in 21 capsizings. Girding occurs when a vessel is pulled broadside by a towline force and is unable to manoeuver out of this position. The TSB created this video to illustrate the factors leading to girding and the recovery methods.

The TSB would like to thank Ledcor Resources and Transportation Inc. for use of simulator training images in the girding video. We would also like to acknowledge the U.S. Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS), whose simulation technology, models and exercises were used in filming the simulation scenes.