CORNWALL, Ontario – One down (make that up), one to go.
The Lac Manitoba has been removed from its would-be watery tomb in the St. Lawrence River in Cornwall and is now atop a barge at the city harbour.
This leaves the LCM 131, a smaller tugboat, still capsized in the river. Both ships sank more than amonth ago positioning a barge on the river.
“On Friday and Saturday a light sheen oil was detected, with its origin coming from the final volume of water draining from the Lac Manitoba after being lifted from the water.,” McKeil Marine, the owners of the tug, said in a statement Saturday. “The materials released quickly dissipated in the strong current.”
A Seaway inspection has been scheduled for early next week. Following Seaway clearance, the barge will be assisted away from the dock and towed to Hamilton where the tug Lac Manitoba will be scrapped.
The river in the vicinity of the Seaway International Bridge is still closed to all vessel traffic.
The LCM 131 is expected to be salvaged next week. Canadian Coast Guard officials have indicated the vessel is nearly empty of fuel.
