Partially Sunken Fishing Vessel At Stokes Bay Refloated, Moved To Southampton

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Photo Courtesy of Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) Photo: The fishing tug being lifted out of the water on November 26, 2024.
By Joanne Rodgers, Bruce Peninsula Press

On November 26, 2024 the FV Gary M was successfully removed from the Stokes Bay Government Dock after sinking for the second time this Fall. It was towed to Southampton and placed on dry dock.

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) reported on the actions taken to protect the environment and retrieve the sunken vessel:

On November 20, CCG received a report of a sunken vessel alongside the government wharf in Stokes Bay, ON. CCG personnel responded and deployed containment booms around the vessel within four hours of the report. Some sheening occurred during the sinking and before booms were deployed. Approximately 25,000 litres of pollutants were removed in total during the incident, but the CCG stated that no lasting environmental damage was reported or observed.

Photo Courtesy of Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) Photo: An aerial view of the fishing vessel at the Stokes Bay government dock, with containment booms in place.

No salvage plan from owner 

Additionally the CCG requested a salvage plan from the vessel owner.

On November 21, the CCG deemed the vessel owner was not in a position to respond, and took action to address the issue.

On November 23, the vessel was refloated by a third-party contractor, hired by CCG.

Five CCG personnel were onsite to oversee vessel salvage operations, with additional personnel supporting the operation virtually with contracting, legal, etc. A London, Ontario-based contractor was awarded the salvage portion of this project.

By November 24, CCG and the salvage company had prepared the vessel for towing by securing on-board machinery and items, and removing all bulk pollutants.

Fishing vessel towed to Southampton

A Southampton-based contractor was awarded the towing portion of this project; and on November 25, the towing contractor arrived onsite and towed the vessel from Stokes Bay to Southampton.

On November 26, CCG stated the vessel was removed from the water, ending the threat of pollution to the environment posed by the vessel related to this incident.

CCG continues to work with the vessel owner to determine next steps. 

As the owner did not take appropriate actions to remediate the situation, CCG said that they took reasonable and appropriate actions to mitigate the threat of pollution posed by the vessel. CCG chose the Port of Southampton as the closest location suitable to accommodate the removal of a vessel of that size. Dock space, impending weather conditions, and financial costs were all part of the consideration process.

The total cost of the incident has not been determined to date.

CCG stated that in Canada, vessel owners are responsible for ensuring an appropriate response to any threat of pollution or hazard from their vessel and are accountable for the response costs and damages that may occur from the incident. 

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) retains overall command of the response to any marine pollution or hazardous incident from a vessel in waters under Canadian jurisdiction and will ensure there is an appropriate response to the incident. 

If a vessel owner fails to take appropriate measures, the Canadian Coast Guard takes the necessary actions to address the problem. As per the “polluter pay principle” outlined by Canadian law, any costs incurred by the CCG, such as cleanup, repairs or removal of a vessel, can be recovered from the owner.

OPP determines no criminal action

The OPP is aware of the incident but stated that there is no information to suggest that the second sinking was criminal in nature.

The OPP stated that they considered all information available to support its investigation, However if new information were to come to light, the OPP would review that information to determine whether further investigation is warranted.