MV Miner salvage plan in jeopardy

The company hired to remove the MV Miner from the shores of Cape Breton is threatening to walk away from the job by the end of the workday.

The Bennington Group's Abe Shah told the CBC's Wendy Martin that the province must approve the plan to salvage the ship by the end of the workday.

The Bennington Group was hired nearly six months ago to deal with the wreckage. But the project has been constantly delayed.

In August, the deadline to remove the deteriorating ship was extended until Dec. 1.

But last week, the province issued a stop-work order because it wanted assurances the salvage plan is safe.

The Bennington Group was ordered to hire an independent engineer to assess the plans. Shah said he hired Grant McCharles of Sydney, who provided the report to the province.

Premier Darrell Dexter said there is no backup plan if Bennington walks away from the project.

"We'll have to go back and have a look at it," he said. "The simple fact of the matter isasI said beforethis is an issue that's come forward as the result of really poor administration of the federal regulation with respect to who can tow and what the salvage rules are."

Dexter said the cleanup should be the responsibility of the federal government.

"They keep walking away from their responsiblity."

The MV Miner ran aground off Scatarie Island last September, while being towed from Montreal to Turkey. People who live nearby have become increasingly frustrated with the delays.

The Bennington Group is a New York-based company.