Former Canadian Miner wreck

[mopar tim]

How does a salvage company even begin to get this ship out of its current situation?. Is it possible to cut it up on site or would it have to be repaired and towed?. Also it looks like a fairly desolate area would it even be an option to just leave it there and let nature take care of it?. Sorry for all the questions but this story has got my interest right now.

[TWilush]

I would think that asbestos abatement would have been done years ago. Can't see a company leaving it in place when they know asbestos poses health risks.

No, it's still there; one of the major costs involved with scrapping at IMS is asbestos abatement. As long is it is well covered and undisturbed it is not a problem. In some of the older vessels I believe air quality tests are done periodically.

[MattJ]

I would think that asbestos abatement would have been done years ago. Can't see a company leaving it in place when they know asbestos poses health risks.

[Guest 5]

A bond, before the towing, is the best way to insure that any clean up costs will be covered in the event a problem. This would insure that the towing company be held liable for damages not the taxpayers. The asbestos must be removed from the Miner to prevent it from entering the food chain. Asbestos does not decompose over time. Once the tow has been completed, the bond would be released back to the towing company. 12 million dollars would have been saved on the Miner wreck !

[Guest]

I don't know why they're wasting money on her. She's not doing any significant harm being left in place. Her tanks are empty and I can't imagine a little bit of wet asbestos posing any threat to man or nature.

20 years from now, she'd be all but invisible as mother nature continues to break her down.

[Guest]

I too find it difficult to expect the tax payers to pick up a 12 million dollar tab for the clean up of the Miner wreck. The current laws have to change with regard to scrapping old ships which wreck in tow and litter our shores. I encourage the Canadian government to demand a bond be placed on any ship being towed to a foreign port for scrap. I also think that foreign boats towing Canadian ships must be held to a high standard with regard to coast guard inspections to certify that they are able to complete the tow safely. This type of action must simply be stopped. What inspections are placed upon a tow tug in this type of situation ?

Was there any investigation into this incident to determine whether the towing company was negligent in any way for the Miner breaking lose from the tug? Or was it due to the gale it encountered?

[guest]

I encourage the Canadian government to demand a bond be placed on any ship being towed to a foreign port for scrap.

A bond? All that will do is prevent any ships from ever getting scrapped. They will just rot away until they sink at their docks. Asbestos and all. And the tow was inspected prior to departure.

[Guest 5]

I too find it difficult to expect the tax payers to pick up a 12 million dollar tab for the clean up of the Miner wreck. The current laws have to change with regard to scrapping old ships which wreck in tow and litter our shores. I encourage the Canadian government to demand a bond be placed on any ship being towed to a foreign port for scrap. I also think that foreign boats towing Canadian ships must be held to a high standard with regard to coast guard inspections to certify that they are able to complete the tow safely. This type of action must simply be stopped. What inspections are placed upon a tow tug in this type of situation ?

[Jared]

None, accidents happen. Few cases can present the danger of a towed vessel bringing the tow vessel down with her.

[Guest]

What Canadian,or American, laws have been changed to prevent a repeat of this accident ? The tax payers should not have to pay the bill for this type of clean up. Does the towing company have to post a bond to prevent this from happening once again at tax payers expense ? Has anything been changed or, will this be allowed to happen once again ?

[Guest]

Well put! I'm amazed that the Miner is in the condition that it is considering its predicament. The pressures put on the hull are far outside what the vessel was built to withstand, and its remaining relatively intact despite losing major portions of its hull are a credit to its designers, builders, and its owners and sailors that maintained it while it was operational. Mother nature has a way of quickly destroying anything man leaves abandoned. The condition of the Miner can in no way be compared to that of a operational ship that is receiving at least a minimal amount of basis.

[Shipwatcher1]

The salt water has nothing to do with it. She has not been there long enough for the salt to deteriorate her that bad. Her condition is solely based on her roadside facing the full ocean weather, and sitting up on the rocks.

[Guest]

The video shows how 'rotten" and 'rusted' these old boats have become. One can only wonder how many old boats are in the same shape considering their age. How does the 5 year inspection check for rust and hull conditions ?

No ship can survive being pinned like that for long, but it speaks well of the old Miner that she is still mostly there, some other bigger, ocean going ships, in similar situations have not fared nearly as well.

[garbear]

I won't debate the condition of the Miners hull. But I don't think any steel ship, even a new one, could last 3 years beached on a rocky shore, broadside to the sea, on an island that experiences 2-4 hurricanes (or hurricane remnants) each year. Ships just aren't designed to do that. Heck, most docks can't even survive that punishment, which is why docks are built inside protective harbors.

http://www.mammoetsalvage.com/Portals/1 ... axSize.jpg

Also the fact that it's saltwater.

[Guest3]

The video shows how 'rotten" and 'rusted' these old boats have become. One can only wonder how many old boats are in the same shape considering their age. How does the 5 year inspection check for rust and hull conditions ?

Really? She's been abandoned on an exposed ocean beach for 3 years, not in service carrying cargo. Comparing her present state to an operating vessel is ridiculous.

[guest]

I won't debate the condition of the Miners hull. But I don't think any steel ship, even a new one, could last 3 years beached on a rocky shore, broadside to the sea, on an island that experiences 2-4 hurricanes (or hurricane remnants) each year. Ships just aren't designed to do that. Heck, most docks can't even survive that punishment, which is why docks are built inside protective harbors.

http://www.mammoetsalvage.com/Portals/1 ... axSize.jpg

[Guest]

The video shows how 'rotten" and 'rusted' these old boats have become. One can only wonder how many old boats are in the same shape considering their age. How does the 5 year inspection check for rust and hull conditions ?

[Wawatam]

Interesting video at this CBC News-Nova Scotia, web site. If the weather cooperates, it looks like the ex- Canadian Miner (M/V Miner) will finally be cut up and removed from Scatarie Island.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scot ... -1.2706957

[jacques]

some big names bidding like SMIT, Mammoet and Svitzer and some unknowns. be interesting to see the price ranges if they announce them

[empee]

local newspapers say that 7 companies have bid on the wreck cleanup at scatarie island. 2 from nova scotia and some international. which companies are the likely bidders and how would they go about it?