Barge adrift in Beaufort Sea
Severe weather makes for difficult to recover unmanned vessel floating into American waters
Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Published Monday, October 27, 2014
BEAUFORT SEA
Severe weather hampered efforts to recover an unmanned barge that is adrift in the Beaufort Sea.
The 40-metre barge, which is owned by Northern Transportation Corporation Limited (NTCL), has been drifting westward from Tutoyaktuk ever since a tow line between it and a tug snapped during a severe storm on Monday, according to a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard.
The barge was on its way back to Tuktoyaktuk after delivering supplies to a remote community on the coast, and is not carrying any supplies, although it is holding approximately 3,600 litres of diesel in its tanks.
It was spotted Sunday morning drifting into open sea about 50 miles northwest of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska said Cmdr. Shawn Decker of the coast guard.
Visual confirmation of the barge indicated that the fuel tanks on board were intact and did not show any evidence of discharge as of press time.
While the vessel has been located and is being tracked by both American and Canadian authorities, 65 km/h winds and 3.5-metre seas have so far hampered efforts to secure it.
The U.S. Coast Guard is currently the lead agency with respect to the recovery of the barge, according to Rachelle C. Smith, a comminucations manager with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada are assisting in the operation.
NTCL is responsible for creating a response plan that is acceptable to the coast guard, Smith stated in an e-mail.
NTCL president Patrick Schmidt did not respond to numerous requests for comment by press time.
The owner of the barge has exhausted all possible resources to retrieve it, Decker said. In a news release, he said the U.S. Coast Guard is continuing to work with the company and Canadian authorities to make sure the ship returns safely to shore.
"We have a long history of working with our Canadian partners to accomplish these joint environmental protection missions," stated Decker.
"As the barge's owner and Canadian coast guard forces continue to respond, we will stand by to assist in mitigating any possible environmental impact."
