A memorial service will be held today, July 31, at Prince Rupert Harbour to disperse the ashes of deceased tugboat captain Troy Pearson, who lost his life at sea earlier this year.

Pearson’s widow, Judy Pearson-Clark, hopes the memorial service will capture the attention of marine experts and authorities who are still investigating the case.

On Feb 11, the marine vessel Ingenika sank near Kitimat claiming the lives of Pearson and fellow mariner Charley Cragg –a 25-year-old from the Tsawwassen area, whose first shift was on the tug. A third man, 19-year-old Zach Dolan from Prince Rupert survived.

Following the sinking, a petition started by Pearson-Clark calling on the Canadian Coast Guard to raise the sunken tug garnered more than 10,000 signatures.

To date, the vessel has not been raised and is sitting at the bottom of the Gardner Channel.

“We also want to show Transport Canada, Worksafe BC, and the RCMP how many people are still in support of finding the tug and getting answers in the case that killed Troy and Charley,” said Pearson-Clark in a social media post

The captain’s ashes will be scattered during the memorial service which will take place in the middle of the Prince Rupert Harbour.

Boats will be meeting at the Metlakatla Dock at 4 p.m and anyone is welcome to attend, and those without a boat can watch from under the whale’s tail at Waterfront Rotary Park, she said.

Pearson-Clark stated the list of attendees is growing, including many marine colleagues, the Canadian Coast Guard, unions and port workers, as well as MP Taylor Bachrach. Northcoast MLA Jennifer Rice has also confirmed her attendance. Dolan, who survived the incident will also be in attendance, she said.

“At 4 p.m. we will gather, at around 4:30 p.m. we will be doing eight horns on the boats and eight bell chimes on the beach. Safety is key here. We want to give Troy a nice send-off from the water and show him how much he was loved,” Pearson-Clark said.

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K-J Millar | Journalist 

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