Salvage operation wraps, clean-up continues for sunken tug off B.C. coast

Efforts to remove a sunken tug from the waters off British Columbia's central coast have wrapped up, but crews continue to clean-up and survey the damage left behind.

The latest situation report on the Nathan E. Stewart says a barge hauling the damaged vessel arrived in Surrey, B.C., Saturday and the salvage operation is now considered complete.

Protective booms in the Seaforth Channel, near Bella Bella, where the boat ran aground and sank last month have been removed, though teams continue to sample water, sediment, vegetation and tissue in the area.

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The report says results of the sampling will be released to the public in January or early February unless results show that immediate notification is necessary.

The vessel was loaded with 237,262 litres of diesel fuel when it hit the reef on Oct. 13, spilling 107,552 litres of fuel and 2,240 litres of lubricants.

Leaders with the Heiltsuk Nation have said there is still a lot of clean-up work to be done, and they have called on the provincial and federal governments to make sure the community is taken care of, both in the short and long terms.

"The Heiltsuk people have lost the most in this disaster,"Heiltsuk Chief Councillor Marilyn Slett said in a statement. "Our governments have the responsibility to work with us to ensure our people's needs are met."