Long Wait over for MV Miner Removal
After almost four years, the MV Miner is now completely removed from the coast of Scaterie Island. The Transportation Department said today that the final piece of the derelict bulk carrier was removed from the shoreline today. The Miner ran aground in September of 2011 when it was being towed to Turkey, and it raised environmental concerns among fishermen and other residents of nearby Main-a-Dieu. The province hired an Antigonish contractor to remove the vessel for 11.9 million dollars, but Transportation Minister Geoff MacLellan said in April that the bill will likely go up by as much as two million dollars because of additional asbestos and diesel fuel that were found on board during the salvage operation. The additional cost is still being finalized. In a news release this afternoon, MacLellan is quoted as saying that he’ll continue to ask the federal government to help with the additional cost of removing the contaminants, though Ottawa has so far resisted requests for financial help, saying that the ship didn’t pose a navigational hazard.