SYDPORT, N.S. — A
$12.6-million federal tender for the dismantling of two former Canadian Navy
ships has been awarded to Marine Recycling Corp., which will do the work at
Sydport Industrial Park.
The project, which is
expected to take 18 months to complete, will result in 35 direct jobs and 35
spinoff jobs, Sydney-Victoria MP Mark Eyking said in making the announcement at
Sydport Friday, with the first of the two ships, the HMCS Preserver, in the
background.
The Preserver arrived at
Sydport Friday morning. The shipbreaking tender was awarded in June and also
involved the former research vessel CFAV Quest, which will arrive later.
Internationally,
shipbreaking is an industry with a reputation for poor environmental practices.
Wayne Elliott, director of
business development with Marine Recycling Corp., said his company was the
first ISO-certified company doing this sort of work and is the oldest ship
recycler in the world.
“I think this is … ship
number 134 with no accidents, no insurance claims, no loss of vessels and so
it’s a pretty good track record and we have no intention of changing that,”
Elliott said.
Anything that is deemed to
be hazardous waste — such as hydrocarbons, batteries or chemicals — is removed
from the vessel prior to it being towed, in accordance with federal
regulations.
“The hydrocarbons are
usually the biggest environmental carnage so there aren’t any on the ship and
our goal as always is not a drop of waste in the water and not a drop of
hydrocarbons on the ground,” he said.
Asbestos is not considered
hazardous waste but rather a dangerous material. Elliott said there is likely
little onboard Preserver because the ship went through a refit.
Mike Stege, a project
manager with the Department of National Defence, said monthly inspections will
be done of the site. As well, quality assurance representatives from the
Department of National Defence will be on site 24 hours a day, said Russ
Passmore, manager of the marine in-service support division with Public
Services and Procurement Canada.
Elliott said the company is
always trying to improve its practices and plans to try some new technology in
the work at Sydport. It will submit its plans to the Departments of Defence and
Public Services and they will have to be notified of any changes.
The ballast water that was
used in the tow will be treated to ensure hydrocarbons have been removed. The
initial work will take place inside the ship, sampling components such wires,
devices and paint and could begin soon. They will also have to hire and train
employees.
“Safety is truly first, it
has to be — the safety of our people and crews and subcontractors, safety of
the public at large … and safety of the environment,” Elliott said.
Dismantling will begin while
the ship is still in the water and then it will be brought onshore later.
Elliott, who is based in
Port Colborne, Ont., said the company has long wanted a location on the ocean.
Transporting a vessel from the East Coast to its ship recycling facility
located on Lake Eerie requires travelling two sets of canals and locks, which is
expensive.
The company is at a
competitive disadvantage to try to draw ocean ships into the Great Lakes,
Elliott said, although it has tackled submarines and a destroyer there.
Eyking said he believes this
contract could lead to additional work locally.
“We see a future down the
road with other vessels and decommissioning that we will be able to do here in
the future,” Eyking said. “So we’re not just looking at a short-term industry
here, we’re looking at a long-term industry which bodes well in this whole
industrial park here.”
Source: capebreton
post.
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