BEAUHARNOIS, Que. -- Montreal-area officials have been assured by Ottawa that an initial inspection of an abandoned bulk carrier shows it doesn't pose a risk of capsizing or causing an environmental disaster.
The Kathryn Spirit was brought to Beauharnois in 2011 by a private firm hoping to dismantle it in the St. Lawrence River and sell it for scrap.
That project didn't materialize and the cargo ship was sold to Mexican interests who've since recently declared bankruptcy and abandoned it.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, who heads the 82-municipality Montreal Metropolitan Community, told reporters Monday he expects to discuss the matter in Ottawa this week with Transport Minister Marc Garneau and Fisheries Minister Hunter Tootoo.
Beauharnois Mayor Claude Haineault added he's hopeful the developments mean the 150-metre-long vessel will finally be removed from the town.
A working group comprised of federal and local officials will convene in two weeks to look at a more in-depth analysis of the contents of the ship.
Haineault says inspectors apparently came by last week and visually checked the carrier without boarding it.
The mayor has been assured the town will be provided with a full report of the ship's contents.
"After that, the group will have the mandate of figuring out what to do with it," Haineault said. "We have hopes this will help move along the matter, but we'll know more with the next steps."
Haineault says one of the first questions that needs to be addressed is whether the Mexican firm has any legal responsibility in the matter.
The mayor has said he thinks the decrepit ship should be hauled to a dry dock and demolished in an environmentally safe fashion.
