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2015 287QBSWE
FRIDAY, October 24, 2014
Volume 9 Issue 16
TMC 20,700
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PRINCE RUPERT PORT AUTHORITY / THE NORTHERN CONNECTOR
The 135-metre Russian vessel Simushir finally found a port in the storm in Prince Rupert early Monday after a dramatic three days which began after it lost power of of Haida Gwaii and before it could be towed to safety.
Disabled Russian freighter towed to safety By Martina Perry
THE NORTHERN CONNECTOR
PRINCE RUPERT - The 135-metre Russian vessel Simushir finally found a port in the storm in Prince Rupert early Monday after a dramatic three days that threatened Haida Gwaii and the North Coast with a potentially devastating environmental disaster. The Simushir, loaded with 450 tonnes of Bunker C fuel and diesel oil, was sailing from Washington back to Russia at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 17 when a defective oil cooling pump caused the vessel’s engines to lose power 12 nautical miles northwest of Gowgaia Bay, off Moresby Island. “The Haida Nation’s worst fear is coming true,” Peter Lantin, president of the Haida Nation, stated.
The Council of Haida Nation was the first to raise the alarm and at the time were told the vessel would run aground by Friday evening. However, a wind direction change helped to downgrade the threat of the Simushir running aground later that day, with Roger Girouard, assistant commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard Western Region, telling media the ship was no longer considered an imminent threat during a teleconference just after 5 p.m. The Canadian Coast Guard vessel Gordon Reid reached the cargo ship Friday afternoon, along with two helicopters that were on standby. After a few unsuccessful attempts, the Gordon Reid was able to secure a line on the Simushir. While the vessel wasn’t equipped to handle the full rescue operation, it pulled it further away from the coast and
until private U.S. tugboat Barbara Foss was able to take over on Sunday. When the Simushir was secured at Fairview Terminal at 3 a.m. Monday, its 10 crew members were still onboard. The ship’s captain had been airlifted to Sandspit early Friday afternoon to receive medical attention. After an inspection, it was determined the only repairs required were to the cooling pump. Michael Gurney, the Port of Prince Rupert’s manager of corporate communications, said repairs were relatively simple, and estimated they would take 48 hours to complete on Monday. “Obviously, the seas off Haida Gwaii were extraordinary ... what they needed was a stable platform which they have now, thanks to a very calm day in Prince Rupert, and some technical assistance to change out that
equipment. Then they should be on their way after a short Canadian visit,” he said. Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said because of the close co-ordination between the Canadian Coast Guard and the Department of National Defence, the Government of Canada was “able to take immediate action to halt the Russian-flagged ship Simushir from drifting into shore.” But there’s been plenty of criticism about response time, with many pointing to the incident as a reason why there needs to be a full-time vessel stationed on the North Coast. “It is one of the things we have been pushing for because we have very little to respond with,” Des Nobles, a SkeenaQueen Charlotte Regional District (SQCRD) director, said during a meeting on Friday.
Gordon Kobza
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