Tuk mayor pens letter of concern about 'insufficient' barge recovery
The mayor of Tuktoyaktuk is sounding off about the efforts, or lack thereof, to recover a grounded barge about 25 kilometres north of the community — and he says it's a warning that they're not prepared for disasters at sea.
The barge was heading to Tuktoyaktuk three weeks ago when it ran aground, eventually coming loose and then drifting to Toker Point, where it grounded and remains today.
Mayor Darrel Nasogaluak says it's estimated that there is approximately 50,000 litres of diesel fuel on board. Niels Gram, the president of Fathom Marine, the company that owns the barge, said in an email that "it has been difficult to determine the precise amount of fuel," but that the company is using 50,000 litres for planning purposes.
In a "letter of concern" that was sent to CBC North, Nasogaluak calls the company's efforts to recover the barge "insufficient and ineffective."
The incident has "given cause for concern about what would have happened if this had been a more serious event with immediate environmental impacts," Nasogaluak wrote.
The president of Fathom Marine previously said that the barge was intact and not leaking any of its cargo. The company had hoped its tugboat and another vessel could free the barge, but that didn't happen.
According to Nasogaluak, the company's tugboat was damaged during the recovery effort and is still sitting in Tuktoyaktuk.
He said this incident highlights the need for government to be better prepared for a disaster, calling it a "warning of things to come in the future as marine traffic increases in the Arctic."
"The failure of best efforts by the owners of the barge, Fathom Marine, to recover it after almost a month and the inadequacy of the equipment used, demonstrate the need for the federal government and GNWT to be better prepared for a marine disaster in our area."
The letter says the governments need to place resources in Tuktoyaktuk that are able to respond quickly and effectively to events like this one.
Nasogaluak says the federal government, coast guard and Fathom Marine are still developing plans to remove the diesel oil from the barge to either refloat it or secure it for the winter.
Company shares frustrations
In a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon by Gram, he said the company understands and shares the community's frustrations "with the time it is taking to safely remove the barge from the beach at Toker Point.
"Poor weather and a general lack of suitable equipment have been major factors in this delay."
He said the company is confident that the barge, which is double hulled and designed for heavy ice, is an "extremely low risk" to the community.
Gram said they plan to remove all the remaining fuel by helicopter. Once that happens, they'll shift their focus to refloating and removing the barge before freeze up.
The company said it's "consulted extensively" with the community and the Canadian Coast Guard to recover the barge as quickly as possible.
