Cindy MacDougall
Northern News Services

Fort Providence (Jan 19/00) - With a few blasts, some flying ice and a sturdy crane, a 61,000-kilogram problem was removed from the Mackenzie River ice crossing at Fort Providence Saturday.

Art Barnes, regional superintendent for the Department of Transportation, said the removal of the Super B-Train truck, which crashed through the ice last Wednesday, went very well.

"I was quite happy to see a professional team work quickly and remove the truck," Barnes said. "They did a good job, without incident."

RTL Enterprises was hired by the truck's owner, Alberta-based Petrohaul, to remove the Super B tanker from its icy vice.

The 61,000-kilogram tanker had been carrying a full load of diesel fuel on a 4,000 kilogram maximum-load capacity ice crossing when it crashed through the ice about one kilometre from the Mackenzie's Northern shore.

The 4,000-kilogram ice crossing is open with a detour. The full weight 64,000-kilogram crossing will be open later this week.

RTL risks manager Janet Robinson said workers used small dynamite charges to free the truck from the ice, then hauled the pumped-out tanker with a crane and winch trucks.

"There's the current to deal with and it was early in the season, so the ice was thin," Robinson said.

"So I'd give it a six (out of 10) for difficulty."

Robinson said RTL is often hired to salvage trucks on ice roads and bridges, because it has dealt with its own trucks falling through from time to time.

"We have the expertise, the experience and the specialized equipment for salvage work," she said.

Barnes said transportation was there to oversee the process, along with Environment Canada, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the RCMP.

"The government's role was to make sure everyone had the space to work and it was all done according to regulations and safety procedures," he said.

Environment Canada inspector Sid Bruinsma observed the removal, along with members of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

He said the environmental inspectors were pleased no fuel was spilled.

"The fact is that if the diesel fuel was to spill, our ability to contain would have been limited," Bruinsma said.

Another concern of the salvage project was the effect the dynamite blast might have on the river's fish. Shock waves from explosions can severely hurt or kill fish.

Bruinsma said RTL acquired a blasting permit from fisheries, allowing them to blast in fish habitat. He said he did not know what effect the small blasts may have had on the fish.

"As far as I can tell, it was well planned," he said.

"One of my issues is that it (the truck accident) shouldn't have happened in the first place, but I'm satisfied with the response as it has happened so far."

The tanker's driver, Daniel Archambault, has been charged by Fort Providence RCMP with dangerous driving and operating a vehicle exceeding the maximum weight on a seasonal highway.