Former Tamil migrant ship being dismantled in B.C.
An abandoned cargo ship that once brought 76 Tamil migrants from Sri Lanka to British Columbia more than a decade ago is being dismantled.
The former MV Ocean Lady was recently at anchor in Desolation Sound, a waterway between Vancouver Island and the B.C. mainland, following its perilous journey across the Pacific Ocean in 2009.
Coast guard officials say the 56-metre vessel, which was later renamed the MV Mini Fusion, is being deconstructed by the Marine Recycling Corporation, which won a federal contract to dismantle the ship.
The value of the disposal contract was approximately $1,002,104.88, according to a tender award notice published by Public Services and Procurement Canada in May.
The coast guard provided photos to CTV News on Tuesday showing the vessel's large steel hull in pieces at a marine salvage yard near Campbell River, B.C.
The coast guard says it removed more than 32,000 litres of fuel and oil from the vessel while at anchor last year. Even so, the abandoned cargo ship was deemed a navigational hazard and a threat to the sensitive marine environment.
The shipbreaking contract requires that the work is carried out in an environmentally compliant manner, including the salvage and recycling of scrap metal and controlled disposal of hazardous waste, according to the coast guard.
The vessel was placed on a submersible drydock last month and floated to Duncan Bay, near Campbell River, for destruction.
The former MV Ocean Lady was recently at anchor in Desolation Sound, a waterway between Vancouver Island and the B.C. mainland. (Canadian Coast Guard)
Built in Japan in 1990, the cargo ship was the first of two vessels carrying Tamil asylum seekers to reach B.C.'s coastal waters more than a decade ago. Its arrival was followed 10 months later by the arrival of the MV Sun Sea, which carried 492 migrants fleeing war in Sri Lanka.
A Victoria company won a $4.15-million contract to dispose of the Sun Sea in 2019.
The federal government says that since 2016 it has funded the removal and disposal of nearly 500 derelict vessels under the $3.5-billion Oceans Protection Plan.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.