A plan to remove a derelict ship abandoned in Lac-St-Louis appears to be caught in red tape.
For four years, Ottawa has been trying to determine what to do about the cargo vessel docked in Beaurharnois, where the mayor fears it will remain for many months to come.
With the ship leaning perilously to its side, Mayor Claude Haineault said no one can afford to wait. The boat is hanging by only a few cables, one of which snapped a few days ago, at about the same time as the mayor.
“I just can't understand!” he said. “After four years, it’s time to work! Come on!”
The Kathryn Spirit was towed to the area in 2011 when a company bought it for scrap and planned to dismantle it.
Instead the vessel was sold to a Mexican firm which later declared bankruptcy, and the ship has been rotting in place ever since.
The federal government has said it will pay to remove and dismantle the freighter, but there is no timeline in place, even though a Transport Canada report filed in June acknowledged there was a substantial risk of the ship capsizing due in part to lower water levels in the lake.
The Coast Guard has placed a crew on standby near the vessel ever since.
Oil containment booms have been placed around the ship but those are just a temporary measure.
While most of its fuel was removed in 2013, fears remain that what’s left could contaminate Lac-St-Louis and its drinking water.
Beauharnois and other South Shore communities take their drinking water from the lake, near where the wreck is grounded.
In order to safely deal with the ship during demolition an eight-metre dike will have to be built to create a long-term, more reliable way of isolating the water, which the vessel is dismantled. Haineault said that would start in the coming weeks and would be over before the winter.
However before any work can take place, Quebec Environment Ministry has ordered another environmental assessment of the risks involved.
Minister David Heurtel said Wednesday that he would not tolerate any prolonged delay, but Mayor Claude Haineault said even a three-month delay would be too long. Besides, he added, Quebec did a study two years ago, and now is stalling.
“All the information, they have it... the information is there,” said Haineault. “I think the provincial minister has to decide. Time is up, recreation is over, do the job!”
The job is expecting to cost $15 million – but costs are mounting either way. The Griffon icebreaker is on standby, Transport Ministry inspectors are on site, a team of at least a dozen is on the ground and many more offices are scrambling to ensure the Kathryn Spirit stays afloat.
