Statement made on 23 November 2011 by Senator Jane Cordy
Hon. Jane Cordy:
Honourable senators, my question is also for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.
The bulk carrier MV Miner was being towed to a scrapyard in Turkey when it ended up on the rocks of Scatarie Island in Cape Breton on September 20 of this year. The provincial government has so far spent about $400,000 trying to clean the site by removing potentially hazardous materials. The federal government has removed the fuel and some toxic materials, but the ship still remains abandoned off the coast of Scatarie Island. The estimated cost of salvaging the wreck is about $23 million.
Will this government provide leadership and work with the Government of Nova Scotia to remove the vessel before more damage is done to the environment? Who is expected to pay for the removal of the abandoned ship? I am wondering, as are the people of Cape Breton and the people of Nova Scotia, what the plan is for the removal of this derelict ship.
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