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Massive barge at Quadra Island could be refloated this week

The salvage operation to refloat a massive barge that ran aground on Quadra Island could take place this week, depending on weather and tide levels, Transport Canada said in a statement Wednesday.
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A barge ran on the rocks off Whiskey Point on Quadra Island on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019.

The salvage operation to refloat a massive barge that ran aground on Quadra Island could take place this week, depending on weather and tide levels, Transport Canada said in a statement Wednesday.

Canadian Coast Guard ships are monitoring the barge owned by Alaska Marine Lines, which was heading to Alaska when it hit rocks and damaged its hull about 8 p.m. Saturday on the southwest coast of the island, north of Cape Mudge.

The barge was being pulled by a tugboat and was headed toward Whittier.

The six people on board the tugboat were uninjured and the tug was not damaged.

There are three loaded rail cars on board the Nana Provider — one contains compressed carbon dioxide, while the other two contain a corrosion inhibitor. All other rail cars and containers are empty, as is the hull.

The coast guard said the situation is stable and there is little risk of pollution, as the cars are individually secured and raised above deck.

In a statement, the coast guard said it will remain on the water to protect the public and environment in the event the situation changes.

The owner of the barge is responsible for all costs, said the statement.

Strathcona Regional District director Jim Abram drove by the site Wednesday and said nothing was happening.

Officials need a really high tide to refloat the massive barge, Abram said.

“They don’t have any really high tides coming up, but we will have some extremely strong winds starting tomorrow, Friday, Saturday, Sunday,” Abram said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen with the wind and the tides and whether or not it’s going to grind the hell out of the bottom, or whether it’s going to lift it high enough to actually move it.”

Abram is also concerned about a turf war between American insurance adjusters and Transport Canada.

“They don’t want the divers doing any more or Transport Canada doing anything they haven’t authorized themselves,” he said. “They’re in our waters. I think that whatever the coast guard and Transport Canada says should be the law.”

Transport Canada spokeswoman Jillian Glover said the barge would be towed to a facility in Middle Point for repairs if needed.

The vessel does not pose a threat to island residents, Ryan Dixon, a spokesman for Alaska Marine Lines parent company Lynden Inc., said in an email.

“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,” Dixon said.

ldickson@timescolonist.com

— With files from The Associated Press