SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A beached fishing boat in Yellowknife Bay will soon be removed from the water, said an official with the Canadian Coast Guard.

The approximately 11.5-metre, steel construction boat has no fuel on board and is not leaking anything into the lake, said Larry Trigatti, the coast guard's superintendent of environmental response in the central and Arctic region. It's believed the boat'sname is the Reliance, he added.

"The boat was beached over the winter and its stern is awash," he said, adding water has seeped into the boat.

Normally, water collected in the hull is pumped out by a bilge pump, explained Trigatti. When a problem occurs, it's typically because the bilge pump power failed during the winter, although Trigatti said he cannot confirm this is what happened in this case. As the ice melts, the vessel settles on the shoreline as the bilge is not emptying the hull, he added.

As soon as the ice conditions are safe, the boat will be recovered, as the owner already sent a plan for removal, said Trigatti.

He said the cost of the recovery - the owner's responsibility - would depend on whether resources are available locally or have to be brought in.