Vancouver developer Howard Meakin has owned the famed Expo 86-era floating McDonald91裸聊视频檚 restaurant vessel known as the McBarge for decades, and despite its outward appearance, by no means is it derelict, he says.
The vessel was made famous during the 1986 World Exposition in Vancouver as a floating McDonald91裸聊视频檚 restaurant, though the vessel official name was the 91裸聊视频淔riendship 500.91裸聊视频�
Meakin said he was surprised to learn in recent media reports that the vessel appeared on the federal government91裸聊视频檚 national inventory of wrecked, abandoned or hazardous vessels.
It has since been removed from the Canadian Coast Guard91裸聊视频檚 list.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 just ridiculous because it91裸聊视频檚 never been abandoned,91裸聊视频� Meakin said in an interview. 91裸聊视频淭he hull is in pristine condition. We91裸聊视频檝e had it surveyed and it91裸聊视频檚 concrete, the hull is concrete. It has a life expectancy of probably well over 100 years.91裸聊视频�
Up until 2019, it wasn91裸聊视频檛 even illegal in Canada to abandon a boat in the country91裸聊视频檚 waters, and now the Canadian Coast Guard is working its way through the inventory, armed with the power to fine owners of hazardous vessels that threaten marine environments or public safety.
So far, only one vessel91裸聊视频檚 owner has been issued a fine under Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act.
The coast guard91裸聊视频檚 list of wrecks now has nearly 1,500 entries, roughly two thirds of which are in British Columbia, but the agency cautions that all the vessels listed aren91裸聊视频檛 91裸聊视频渧erified and confirmed by the Government of Canada.91裸聊视频�
Robert Brooks, the agency91裸聊视频檚 director of marine environmental and hazards response, said in an interview that the list was launched in November 2022, and since 2017 more than 550 problem vessels have been removed from Canadian waters.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e working every day to refine the accuracy of the national inventory,91裸聊视频� Brooks said.
In July, the Coast Guard updated the list and removed around 200 entries, and Brooks said the agency is working through the 91裸聊视频渟ignificant case volume,91裸聊视频� and welcomes public comments about potential inaccuracies on the list.
The McBarge is no longer on the list, nor is the Queen of Sidney, a former BC Ferries vessel sold off in 2002.
That vessel91裸聊视频檚 owner, Langley, B.C., resident Gerald Tapp eventually renamed the boat 91裸聊视频淏ad Adventure,91裸聊视频� and it remains moored on the Fraser River.
The ship has been used in film shoots over the years, including a 2018 episode of the X-Files.
Tapp complained to the coast guard about it91裸聊视频檚 inclusion on the list, insisting his ship is neither wrecked, abandoned, nor hazardous, but he91裸聊视频檚 been in a prolonged legal dispute,leaving the vessel91裸聊视频檚 future uncertain, he said in an interview.
When asked about the vessel91裸聊视频檚 current state and any future plans, Tapp, 86, said he was unsure as he prepares to deal with his legal issues.
91裸聊视频淭o be honest, I couldn91裸聊视频檛 tell you,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e got no idea. I might be dead before, so who knows?91裸聊视频�
A recently posted video online purportedly from the engine room of the Queen of Sidney shows the grimy and oily state of the vessel91裸聊视频檚 interior, and the Canadian Coast Guard said that it 91裸聊视频渋s aware of the video on social media.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淲e are looking into this issue,91裸聊视频� Fisheries and Oceans Canada spokesman Craig Macartney said in an email. 91裸聊视频淢embers of the public should never venture into or on a vessel of concern due to the many potential hazards these vessels can pose.91裸聊视频�
Macartney added that the Queen of Sidney was last assessed in 2018 and it was found 91裸聊视频渋n poor condition, but was not a risk to pollute or a hazard.91裸聊视频�
It was added to the national inventory list nonetheless, but later removed after Tapp contacted the Coast Guard, and the agency took if off the list after concluding the vessel 91裸聊视频渨as not a risk to pollute nor is it a hazard.91裸聊视频�
Other derelict vessels on the list havelanguished inB.C. waters for decades, such as the MV Spudnik, a U.S. Navy freighter removed from the Fraser River in 2020, and the cargo vessel Mini Fusion, a human smuggling ship formerly known as the MV Ocean Lady, which was removed from Desolation Sound in B.C. last year.
91裸聊视频淭hey were significant hazards,91裸聊视频� Brooks said, adding they cost 91裸聊视频渕illions of dollars to address.91裸聊视频�
The Coast Guard also continues to deal with the Brigadier General M.G. Zalinski, a U.S. warship that sunk off the coast of Prince Rupert in 1946, whose hull is deteriorating and has been leaking heavy fuel oil periodically for years.
Brooks said the Coast Guard hopes to have the ship91裸聊视频檚 remaining oil removed by sometime next year.
91裸聊视频淐ertainly the Zalinski is a complex case,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚t certainly highlights the complexity when you think about the scale of the challenge of addressing wrecked, abandoned, and hazardous vessels across the country.91裸聊视频�
Howard Meakin, the owner of the McBarge, said he is still confident the vessel can have a long second life as a tourist attraction symbolizing Vancouver91裸聊视频檚 journey from 91裸聊视频渕ill town to metropolis91裸聊视频� once the right home is found.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 an iconic cultural attraction for B.C. and for Canada,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 definitely, you know, on my bucket list to get done.91裸聊视频�
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