A tugboat and cargo barge stranded in British Columbia central coastal waters continued on to Seattle Nov. 23 with additional escorts, local officials and the Canada Coast Guard reported.
The 101’x31’ tugboat Malolo was underway from Alaska to Seattle, towing the barge Bering Trader with a cargo of about 200 stacked containers, when the crew reported Nov. 17 the barge was taking on water, according to a Canada Coast Guard statement.
Tug operators Dunlop Towing, Resolve Marine and the Heiltsuk First Nation’s emergency response team with divers worked to inspect and stabilize the barge.
In a statement to Vancouver regional news media, Heiltsuk Nation officials reported part of the barge hull was “compromised and continues to take on water, and the barge is being pumped to keep it afloat.”
The Bering Trader was moved to a safe harbor and “Heiltsuk crews are monitoring the barge around the clock, and protective booms have been put in place to protect important ecological and cultural features, including three nearby salmon creeks.”
“This ongoing marine emergency shows once again that coastal First Nations are ground zero for the dangers of marine accidents, including oil spills, and we shoulder the burden of risk of expanded marine traffic,” according to the Heiltsuk officials.
On Sunday afternoon the tug and barge “were given clearance from Transport Canada and the United States Coast Guard to continue on to Seattle,” the Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department said in a news release.
“BC Coast Pilots boarded the Malolo to guide it south. The Malolo is being escorted by the tug Daniel Foss and the Canadian Coast Guard emergency towing vessel Atlantic Eagle,” according to the agency.
