A large ship in Springdale has been deemed a hazard, and the Coast Guard plans to cut it up

A rusting and derelict ship that’s been looming large over the waterfront in Springdale for years will soon be removed and disposed of by the federal government.

It’s the latest chapter in a tense situation that has frustrated residents of this Green Bay town of roughly 3,000 residents for years.

The owner of the vessel, Springdale businessman George Yates, is not pleased, but locals say they’ll celebrate when the Captain Earl W. Winsor is finally towed away.

“It's shameful. It's a disgrace to the community," Springdale resident Mike Critch said this week as he stood on the shoreline and glanced at the 75-metre steel hulled vessel in the distance.

The Coast Guard refused to make someone available for an interview, but in a statement said the former provincial ferry is an environmental hazard, and that efforts to have Yates address the situation have been unsuccessful.

"As the corporation that owns the vessel failed to comply with the direction to mitigate the hazards and the risks of pollution that the Capt. Earl W. Winsor represents, the Canadian Coast Guard is taking immediate action to mitigate those risks," the statement reads.

Area residents say they're happy that something is being done.

“What we're looking at behind me is an ecological disaster. You have a huge chunk of metal waiting to rust and fall to the bottom of the ocean here," said resident Kevin Quinlan.

“You're really putting a blemish on our town by the condition of the waterfront," added Nadine Evans.

On two occasions last year, environmental crews responded after the ship started taking on water, and special equipment was brought in to remove thousands of litres of contaminated water from the vessel, at taxpayers' expense.

After what is described as a "gradual approach to enforcement," the Coast Guard is using the authority granted under the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act to take possession of the Earl Winsor and have it scrapped.

The Coast Guard is looking for an experienced contractor who can cut up and dispose of this 1,600 gross tonne ship in an environmentally responsible manner.

The bid deadline is December 16th.

It will cost millions of dollars and take months to cut up and dispose of the ship, and the coast guard will oversee and pay the contractor for the work. But when the job is done, Yates will get the bill, under what’s known as the polluter pay system.