U.S.-bound cargo barge takes on water near Bella Bella, B.C.
CBC
A U.S.-bound cargo ship was damaged and is taking on water near Bella Bella on B.C.'s Central Coast, officials say.
The Canadian Coast Guard said it received a report from the Malolo tugboat around 10:15 a.m. PT Tuesday that the freight barge it was loading was taking on water.
Officials say the boat was going from Alaska to Seattle, Wash., when it was damaged, and there were no reports of pollution as of Tuesday night.
William Housty, the director of the Heiltsuk First Nation's integrated resource management department, told CBC News that they received reports that the barge was taking on water in the Fisher Channel, around 15 kilometres east of Bella Bella.
"The dive surveys showed that the hull on one part of the barge was compromised, so they must have hit the ground at some point," he said.
Housty said around 4 p.m. PT that the barge was in a "pretty exposed, vulnerable area," and the Central Coast was expecting rain and wind in the next 24 hours.
"Currently, our team is working together with the ship captain and the Canadian Coast Guard to have the tug and barge moved to a nearby anchorage, where we will have it in safe harbour and put some precautionary oil boom around the vessel," he said.
The Canadian Coast Guard said in an update after 4 p.m. that the barge remained stable and was not actively continuing to sink.
Alaska Marine Lines, the owner of the barge, said its vessel sustained damage during transit.
"We have another barge on the way. Once it arrives, we will transfer some cargo to lighten the load so both barges can resume their journeys," a spokesperson said.
"This barge is heading south to Seattle and does not contain any groceries or supplies for Southeast Alaska. This will not cause any supply chain disruptions for Southeast Alaska communities."
Housty said the exact contents of the barge were unknown to the First Nation, heightening concern and underlining a stance around reducing tanker traffic in that part of the Central Coast.
"In the last 10 years we've had a huge increase in the frequency of these sorts of incidents," he said.
"Barges are running aground and causing messes and those sorts of things. So it's a huge concern for us right now."
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.
Six months after passing a law aimed at making it easier for new grocery stores to open, Manitoba's premier says lower grocery bills could be on the horizon.
Timothy Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Landon Waddell, and shouldn't be found guilty of manslaughter, his lawyer says.
Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century, with the operator announcing Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.
A memorial to remember lives lost to gender-based violence was held in Charlottetown Friday, ahead of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, which is marked annually on Dec. 6.
A Calgary dentist who defrauded five insurance companies over a decade should spend up to three years in prison, the prosecution argued Friday.
B.C. Conservation Officer Service says it has called off its search for a bear responsible for an attack on a group of school children in Bella Coola, B.C. on Nov. 20.
The union president called it a rally for solidarity as Iqaluit Housing Authority employees gathered Friday while negotiations are ongoing between the Nunavut Employees Union and the employer.
The federal government is stoking Quebec separatism by walking back its climate commitments — including in its recent deal with Alberta — Liberal MP and former cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault says.
Four more Alberta MLAs are facing recall petitions organized by their constituents, including the first NDP representative to be caught in the province's ongoing wave of recall efforts.