A disabled Russian container ship off the coast of B.C. is under tow and headed to Prince Rupert expected to arrive Monday morning, having avoided a crash many feared would cause an environmental disaster.
The Victoria Rescue Co-ordination Centre announced Sunday the operation has transitioned from a search and rescue mission to a commercial towing exercise.
As well, the Canadian Coast Guard ships Sir Wilfrid Laurier and Gordon Reid and the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Spar that were assisting in the tow as well as a Cormorant helicopter and Buffalo fixed-wing aircraft from 19 Wing Comox and the U.S. Coast Guard Jayhawk on standby at Haida Gwaii were all stood down Sunday morning. They have returned to their regular duties.
“There is no imminent threat right now,” said Navy Lt. Greg Menzies. “The [10-man] still crew is still on board and have not had any requests and [the ship] is out of the danger area.”
The Rescue Co-ordination Centre and Coast Guard will continue to monitor the situation.
If the weather and towing operation continue to be favourable, the Russian container vessel should reach Prince Rupert by early Monday morning, Menzies said.
A tugboat out of Prince Rupert reached the Simushir, 45 kilometres off Haida Gwaii, at 5 p.m. Saturday. Within 90 minutes, the Russian ship was being towed “in a northwesterly direction, keeping a safe distance from the west coastline of Haida Gwaii,” Menzies said.
“The vessels are currently at the northwest end of Haida Gwaii and have begun an eastern transit into the Dixon Entrance,” Menzies said.
The Simushir is carrying 400 tonnes of bunker oil and 50 tonnes of diesel fuel, along with mining equipment and chemicals.
It lost power Thursday night when its oil heater, which heats oil for the engines, broke en route to Russia from Washington state. Efforts to install a new heater were unsuccessful.
The ship, registered in Kholmsk, Russia, and owned by Russian shipping firm SASCO, spent most of Friday adrift off the west coast of Haida Gwaii — formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands — prompting fears the vessel could run aground.
At one point, the ship was only 17 kilometres from shore.
The Gordon Reid arrived Friday and the Simushir was under tow by about 6:30 p.m.
However, the coast guard vessel is not designed or equipped for towing, and the tow line connecting it to the Simushir broke three times, setting the ship adrift each time.
As of noon Sunday, the Russian cargo ship was approximately 86 nautical miles back from Prince Rupert and making good time at six knots an hour, Menzies said.
The docking facility in Prince Rupert can accommodate a 500-foot vessel and aid in the installation of a new heater.
Talk of marine disasters along B.C.’s coast has risen in recent years amid debate over the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway oil pipeline to Kitimat and Kinder Morgan’s proposed expansion of its Trans Mountain pipeline into the Vancouver area.
The two projects would add more than 500 tankers annually to the existing traffic along B.C.’s coast. The province’s plans for liquefied natural gas exports would further add to that amount.
Federal Green party Leader Elizabeth May said the incident “is a real wake-up call that even the existing level of non-oil tanker traffic on our coast can be hazardous and we’re not adequately prepared.”
May noted the tugs “had to come from such a distance and took so long to get there.”
She said: “There’s a long way to go in understanding how treacherous our waters are and what needs to be done to ensure we protect our coastline fisheries and tourism and all the values we attach to living and working in coastal B.C.”
