QUADRA ISLAND - For the first time since an American barge ran aground off the shores of Quadra Island, local residents are now able to learn some of what the vessel has onboard.
Late Monday afternoon, a spokesperson with the Canadian Coast Guard confirmed to CTV News that three rail cars on the barge have product inside them. The agency's email says one rail car contains compressed CO-2 while the other two contain a "corrosion inhibitor".
The spokesperson says all other containers and rail cars are empty, as is the barge's hull.
"The situation is stable and there is very little risk, as these cars are individually secured and raised above deck," reads a statement by the Canadian Coast Guard. "The risk of discharge is also very low."
The spokesperson did confirm that the hull of the barge has been compromised. Divers were surveying around the barge on Sunday.
A separate email from Lynden Logistic, parent company to Alaska Marine Lines, which owns the barge, issued this statement:
"The barge does not contain petroleum or other cargo in its hull, and there is no danger to the residents of Quadra Island. We are carefully assessing the barge and working with the Coast Guard to ensure we can safely move it out of the area as soon as possible."
The barge, the Nana Provider, came into contact with a reef next to Quadra Island around 8 p.m. Saturday evening while it was being towed to Alaska by a tug boat, The Polar King, out of Seattle, Washington. The six crew members on board the tug were uninjured in the incident.
The Coast Guard is now cautioning boaters in the area to keep 1,000 feet away from the barge while the assessment and salvage efforts are being undertaken.
Once the barge is re-floated it will be taken to a facility north of Campbell River where it will be re-anchored and then looked at by a Transport Canada Inspector.
According to Transport Canada senior communications advisor Jillian Glover, a salvage plan has been received from the barge's owner and it is currently being reviewed.
