Hamilton Banker Clean-Up [$1.8 million]

[GordMay]

Work to dismantle, and clean up, any remaining pollutants from the “Hamilton Banker”, a 110-foot fishing vessel, abandoned on the coast at Colliers, in Conception Bay, Newfoundland, is proceeding by Marine Recycling Corp, based out of Port Colbourne, Ontario.

The “Hamilton Banker” is 34 metres long, 7.35 metres wide and weighs 330 tonnes. It was built in Norway, in 1977, but later refurbished for use in Newfoundland, in 1987.

The vessel, abandoned in 2006, was originally moored nearby, but broke free, during ‘Snowmageddon’, in January of 2020, and ended up grounded near the shore.

On June 16, 2006, the ship made port in the town of Harbour Grace, and the crew unloaded their gear, and catch, before turning in for the night. When they returned the following morning, they found the ship had rolled onto her starboard side, while still tied to the dock. Fire crews responded quickly, but by the time they got there, there was little they could do. They quickly deployed a boom around the boat, to prevent oil and contaminants from leaking out, and pads and buoys were used to provide some floatation for the ship.

Transport Canada, and the RCMP, investigated the sinking, and discovered the cause of the sinking to be a malfunctioning valve, that did not close properly. The valve had not shut properly, and as the tide began to rise, water leaked into the hull.

On June 20, after divers had successfully plugged the hole in the hull, salvage crews began pumping water out of the vessel, and raised the bow out of the water. After many hours of carefully maneuvering, the boat was refloated, with the aid of water pumps and cranes. The ship was eventually towed to its current resting place, in the community of Colliers.

But, because of the list, the age of the vessel, and where it ended up, it had to be partially dismantled to get at the rest of the pollutants. Once those remaining pollutants are removed, the rest of the vessel will be taken apart and removed from the scene.

How do you clean up a shipwreck? Very carefully
➥ https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2042798659841

Drone footage ➥ https://youtu.be/YuzBXn5Lh28





*

[hpeer]

Thanks, had not heard about that.