Vancouver’s English Bay Barge nearly gone 1 year after washing ashore

The barge ran aground on Nov. 15, 2021 during powerful winds that accompanied the atmospheric rivers which devastated southwestern B.C. One year later it's nearly gone.

Scaffolding, fencing and tools were virtually all that remained at Vancouver’s Sunset Beach, as the city marked one year since the arrival of the infamous English Bay Barge on Tuesday.

The barge broke free from its mooring on Nov. 15, 2021, during powerful winds that accompanied the atmospheric rivers which devastated southwestern B.C.

Despite initial fears it could strike the Burrard Street Bridge, the barge instead became lodged on rocks at the popular beach’s seawall amid winds of over 70 km/h and one of the year’s highest tides.

When the wind and tide receded, the 1.5 million-kg structure was stuck fast.

Initial attempts to tow the barge from the rocks failed, and it would be February before a plan to break it down into pieces for removal was revealed, and mid-summer before work actually got underway.

According to the City of Vancouver, the barge’s owner, Sentry Marine Towing, is responsible for the cost of removal. The city says it is keeping track of costs, in order to be reimbursed, but has not publicly revealed that figure.

Vancouver Pile Driving, the company contracted to conduct the removal, said it is in the process of removing the final pieces of the barge’s bottom plate sections. It will then remove the piles installed as safety measures, before cleaning up the site and conducting a final environmental assessment.

In its year at Sunset Beach, the barge became an unexpected tourist attraction, drawing crowds of onlookers to pose for selfies.