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Sunken tug lifted from bottom of Fraser River

The 19-metre long George H. Ledcor spilled an unknown amount of diesel fuel when it capsized and sank.
George H Ledcor tug
The George H. Ledcor tug was stabilized by swings between two barges carrying cranes on Thursday. Efforts are still underway to salvage the tug that capsized and sank in the Fraser River Monday. Photo: Canadian Coast Guard

A tug boat that capsized and sank in the Fraser River earlier this week was pulled from the water on Thursday.

 

The salvage operation took longer than crews initially thought. They turned it right-side-up on Wednesday, but waited until it was light again on Thursday to begin hauling the 19-metre long Geroge H. Ledcor out of the river.

 

Crews are now preparing to drain the potentially contaminated water from the boat in a special foul-water containment tank.

 

Once it’s stable and buoyant again, the tug will be towed under Canadian Coast Guard escort to Ledcor’s marine maintenance facility on Mitchell Island.

 

“Safety is the highest priority,” said Kiri Westnedge, spokesperson for the Coast Guard.

 

Four crew members were rescued vessel sank Monday night, and fears later turned to the diesel that was leaking out of the tug’s fuel tank.

 

The tank has a capacity of 22,000 litres, but it’s not known how full it was when the tug sank. Some diesel spilled into the river, but it’s not yet known how much. Dive teams felt their way around the boat and plugged the vents to stem the flow of fuel.

 

David Hoff told The Canadian Press that at least 600 litres of diesel were recovered in the firsts 24 hours of the operation.

 

The Coast Guard noted the sheen on the water looked like it had improved on Wednesday.

 

McDonald Beach Park in Richmond remains closed due to fuel contamination in the off-leash dog area and because salvage crews are using the boat launch.

 

The Coast Guard is also conducting traffic control in the river while salvage efforts continue. Shoreline Assessment and Cleanup Teams are also on site dealing with the spilled fuel.