Barge comes loose near Vancouver's English Bay

CBC
·2 min read
Towing vessels are seen near a barge that seemingly came loose from its moorings near Vancouver's Sunset Beach on Tuesday. (Drew Kerekes/CBC - image credit)
Towing vessels are seen near a barge that seemingly came loose from its moorings near Vancouver's Sunset Beach on Tuesday. (Drew Kerekes/CBC - image credit)

The Canadian Coast Guard is investigating after a barge came loose in Vancouver's English Bay on Tuesday — the third time a barge has done so in the last three years.

A CBC News reporter near Sunset Beach saw coast guard vessels attempting to tow a barge on Tuesday afternoon near the location where a barge ran aground during a rainstorm in November 2021.

A spokesperson for the coast guard said the agency received a report of a barge that was adrift around 2:30 p.m. PT, and two crews from the Kitsilano Coast Guard Station were on scene "within minutes."

"The casualty was a 200-foot-long commercial barge," spokesperson Michelle Imbeau wrote in a statement. "There was no pollution or injuries as a result of this incident."

English Bay is very near the route taken by many container ships and barges on their way to the Port of Vancouver.
English Bay is very near the route taken by many container ships and barges on their way to the Port of Vancouver.

English Bay is near the route taken by many container ships and barges on their way to the Port of Vancouver. (Drew Kerekes/CBC)

The coast guard says about 45 minutes after the initial report, its crews were joined by a vessel from the port authority and two commercial tugboats, who towed the barge away.

"The incident was over in less than an hour," Imbeau said. "It is unknown why the barge came loose from its mooring."

The barge appeared to be carrying a vehicle when it was being towed away by the coast guard and commercial tugboats.
The barge appeared to be carrying a vehicle when it was being towed away by the coast guard and commercial tugboats.

The barge appeared to be carrying a vehicle when it was being towed away by the coast guard and commercial tugboats. (Drew Kerekes/CBC)

A spokesperson for the Port of Vancouver said it assisted in the towing effort, and the barge does not pose a pollution or navigational risk.

"The port authority will work with other agencies and responsible parties to investigate this occurrence," the spokesperson wrote.

The barge that ran aground in November 2021 remained for over a year before it was torn down and moved. It became a social media sensation as people flocked to the seawall near Sunset Beach to get pictures and videos.

In November 2023, an empty barge came loose from its moorings and nearly went aground near Sunset Beach before towing vessels and a tugboat managed to pull it toward deeper waters.

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