Question Period Note: Environmental Response: M/V Cormorant

Environmental Response: M/V Cormorant

• The Cormorant has been assessed as a threat of pollution in Canadian waters. The safety of mariners and the protection of the marine environment are the top priorities for the Canadian Coast Guard.
• The Coast Guard is committed to remediating the Cormorant to address the ongoing risk of pollution and bring it to a close. Therefore Coast Guard is currently on site, working to secure and stabilize the vessel to inform next steps of the process.
• Moving forward, the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessel Act (WAHVA) will provide Coast Guard with the ability to prevent and address vessels abandoned in Canadian waters from becoming derelict or hazards to our environment.

Background
• The Motor Vessel (M/V) Cormorant was originally constructed as a trawler in 1965 under the name of “Aspa Quarto”. In 1975 it was sold to the Canadian Armed Forces and renamed HMCS Cormorant. The vessel remained in service until 1997, when it was sold to a US buyer for diving operations. M/V cormorant was docked in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia (NS) in 2000, where it has remained since.
• The Coast Guard intervened to raise and stabilize the vessel in 2015 and removed 30,000 litres of “product” and took measures to prevent hydraulic fluid from leaking from the vessel.
• The Coast Guard routinely visits the M/V Cormorant for monitoring purposes. After 4 years unattended, in June 2019, Coast Guard began conducting a technical assessment of the vessel to determine if it was a threat of pollution as the vessel was showing signs of deterioration.
• The assessment deliverables were: 1) quantify any pollutants remaining on the vessel 2) assess the overall structural integrity of the vessel 3) assess stability 4) inspect the mooring arrangements 5) assess maintenance and site security provisions in place for the vessel 6) determine risk of pollution.
• On November 12, 2019 the assessment determined that the M/V Cormorant poses “a grave and imminent threat of pollution”.
• Coast Guard and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) have awarded contracts to take action. The estimated time for vessel stabilization work is approximately 4 weeks and will include: operations to secure the site and protect public and responder safety; and conduct diving operations to affect temporary repairs to the hull to enable work to proceed safely on a stabilized vessel. The Coast Guard is committed to working towards a permanent solution to eliminate any threat of pollution posed by the vessel.

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