Ledcor working on lifting sunken tug from Fraser River

VANCOUVER — Salvage crews managed to partially raise a sunken tug from the Fraser River off Vancouver on Wednesday and were aiming to have it floating by the evening.

A larger crane and barge, along with specialized crews, had to be brought in to help bring the George H Ledcor tug from the bottom of the river.

Coast guard spokesman Dan Bate says initially the tug was to be lifted Wednesday morning, but that was delayed until slack tide.

The tug, operated by Ledcor, was hauling a loaded gravel barge when it went down Monday night, although the cause of capsizing is still unclear.

The vessel has the capacity to carry 22,000 litres of diesel fuel, but Bate says it’s unclear how much was in its fuel tank.

Ledcor spokesman David Hoff says in an emailed statement that divers managed to seal off the fuel tanks Tuesday afternoon and as much as 600 litres of fuel has been recovered from the site so far.

Hoff says two cranes are positioned above the vessel and crews are working on rigging to secure the tug for the lift.

An update issued on social media by the Canadian Coast Guard says its vessels stayed at the scene through the night and will remain in command while salvage efforts are underway.

Bate says the flow of the fuel release slowed significantly after the divers were able to cap the fuel tanks.