No timeline to remove beached barge from Victoria waterfront: Transport Canada
More than a week after a marine barge ran aground near Victoria during an intense windstorm, there is still no timeline for the vessel's removal, according to federal officials and the company responsible for the watercraft.
The cement barge, known as Metlakatla I, broke free of its tow cable and drifted onto the rocks at McLoughlin Point on the evening of Nov. 29, as high seas forced the cancellation of multiple ferry sailings in the region.
By Wednesday, the barge had drawn hordes of onlookers to the Esquimalt, B.C., waterfront but little in the way of recovery work.
Transport Canada says Lafarge Canada, which owns the barge, has conducted a damage assessment on the vessel to determine what actions are required to safely refloat the vessel.
The federal agency was still working with the company to finalize that salvage plan Wednesday.
"The particular details regarding the recovery of the barge are the purview of the owner's representative and the timing of the removal remains to be confirmed," Transport Canada spokesperson Sau Sau Liu said.
"The removal is a complex issue, with several factors to consider in addition to tide levels and weather, including safety, security and environmental protection."
Lafarge Canada confirmed it was still forming its salvage plan Wednesday with no firm recovery timeline in place. (CTV News)
Lafarge confirmed it was still forming its salvage plan Wednesday with no firm recovery timeline in place.
"We are working with Transport Canada and necessary partners to implement a safe and prompt recovery plan," company spokesperson Anna Salomao said.
The federal agency says the barge contains no fuel and poses no threat to the safety of residents or the marine environment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of ‘Hockey Night in Canada,’ dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.