By Canadian Press

Efforts to raise tug from mouth of B.C.’s Fraser River paused until Thursday

Aug 15, 2018 | 11:19 PM

VANCOUVER — Salvage crews managed to partially raise a sunken tug from the Fraser River off Vancouver on Wednesday before the salvage operation was paused for the evening.

The B.C. government said the pause would allow for the adjustment of rigging, arrival of a barge to contain water pumped from the tug, and details to be finalized with a facility that will be receiving the vessel.

The Canadian Coast Guard and Western Canada Marine Response Corporation will keep vessels on the scene overnight to monitor a containment boom around the tug and provide any necessary adjustments.

A photograph provided by a spokesman for the Ledcor Group shows the vessel sitting right-side up and partially submerged.

A larger crane and barge, with specialized crews, had to be brought in to help bring the George H Ledcor tug from the bottom of the river.

Meaningful Mementos

Remembering Someone You've Lost at Christmas

Dec 03, 2024

Seasonal Sorrow

How Do You Get Through The Holidays When You're Grieving?

Nov 01, 2024

Upcoming Events at Oliver's

Grief & Loss and Estate Planning Seminars

Oct 02, 2024

Coast guard spokesman Dan Bate initially said the tug was to be lifted Wednesday morning, but that was delayed until slack tide.

The tug, operated by Ledcor, was hauling a loaded gravel barge when it went down Monday night, although the cause of capsizing is still unclear.

The vessel has the capacity to carry 22,000 litres of diesel fuel, but Bate says it’s unclear how much was in its fuel tank.

Ledcor spokesman David Hoff said via email that divers managed to seal off the fuel tanks Tuesday afternoon and as much as 600 litres of fuel has been recovered from the site so far.

Bate says the flow of the fuel release slowed significantly after the divers were able to cap the fuel tanks.

The province said a light sheen was seen on the water downstream on the south side of the Fraser River. But it was expected to dissipate naturally and no clean-up action was required.

Teams will continue to survey the shoreline near the incident site on Thursday.

Bate says diesel is considered to be a lighter fuel and can evaporate quickly.

“It’s quite common for the strong smell of diesel in the area as this evaporation takes place.”

Absorbent pads and booms surround the tug and Ledcor has contracted Western Canada Marine Response Corp. to clean up as much fuel as possible.

The Transportation Safety Board says it’s deploying a team of investigators to the site to gather information and assess the incident.

The board investigates marine occurrences to advance transportation safety, but does not assign blame or determine civil or criminal liability.

The Canadian Press