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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.