Three rescued from Irving barge near Yarmouth

By Greg Bennett and Michael Gorman

NovaNewsNow.com



Three people were pulled off an Irving barge moments before it capsized in stormy waters about 20 miles southwest of Yarmouth on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

The barge, the Shovel Master, was travelling from Saint John to Yarmouth when it started taking on water in heavy seas west of Lurcher Shoal.

The barge began taking on a list, and a Cormorant helicopter was tasked to rescue the crew.

Coast Guard officer Wendell Sperry at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax said a SAR technician was lowered to the barge three times to hoist each crewmember aboard the hovering aircraft.

A short time later, the barge flipped over and the tow line to the tug had to be quickly cut.

“It was quite a rescue,” said Perry.

The overturned barge remained floating at the top of the water and a notice to shipping has been issued to mariners.

On Thursday, the Irving tug remained on station with the barge waiting for better weather to attempt a salvage effort.

Joe Leclaire, Superintendent Environmental Response Canadian Coast Guard Maritimes Region, said the barge has 70,000 litres of diesel, 300 gallons of hydraulic fluid and 200 gallons of waste oil on board. Leclaire said the priority right now is to attact tow lines to the vessel and get it to a sheltered area where it can be drained of its fluids. From that point, it would be righted and towed to a location where it could be repaired.

Until they get a break in the weather and can perform the necessary work, Leclaire said they are doing regular fly-overs to stay abreast of the situation.

Speaking with the Yarmouth Vanguard at 9:20 a.m. Friday morning, a Coast Guard spokesperson said there was nothing new to report but that a meeting involving about five federal and provincial agencies is being held Friday morning and an update on the situation will be provided following that meeting.