3 boaters rescued from Vancouver Harbour after possible collision with cargo ship, RCMP say

Three people had to be pulled from the frigid waters of Vancouver Harbour when their rented 18-foot runabout capsized after a possible collision with the cargo ship Saga Beiga Flor as it was coming into port, according to the RCMP West Coast Marine unit.

Const. David Kokesch said the rescued people were wet, cold and upset but suffered no substantial injuries. Two dogs that were in their boat are missing and presumed drowned.

"It's not totally clear yet, but the ship was coming into the harbour and the small vessel was in front of the ship. Now, whether the wake flipped the boat, whether the two boats made contact and who [initiated] it, at this time that part is still under investigation," Kokesch said.

The Transportation Safety Board said on Wednesday a team of investigators had been deployed to Vancouver.

The incident happened late Saturday morning, in an approximate location north of the Pan Pacific Hotel in a busy part of the harbour.

Kokesch said two tug boats and a port authority vessel helped rescue the three people. They were taken to the Main Street dock and then by ambulance to hospital for observation.

CBC was alerted to the incident by a public Facebook post about the incident. The poster wrote that their family members had been rescued, and claimed in the comments that one of them had been caught under the capsized boat. The post has now been taken down.

CBC contacted the poster and was referred to lawyer Tom Spraggs.

When reached on the phone, Spraggs would only say his law firm investigators were looking into the incident.

On Tuesday, ship tracking website Marine Traffic showed the Hong Kong-registered Saga Beiga Flor moored at Lynnterm East Gate, near the north end of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge.