Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, has confirmed the award of a CA$4.9 million (US$) contract to Resolve Marine to remove oil from historic shipwreck USAT Brigadier General M.G. Zalinski, which sank in Grenville Channel in northern British Columbia nearly 80 years prior.
The Canadian Coast Guard is working closely with Gitga’at and Gitxaala First Nations and will be on scene to manage the response.
Operating as US Army transport ship, the 1919-built Zalinski struck a rock near Pitt Island while ferrying army supplies and heavy fuel oil from Seattle, Washington, to Whittier, Alaska, in 1946. Over the years, the Canadian Coast Guard has monitored the vessel and in 2013, it removed all of the bulk oil that was accessible at that time.
Since then, the ship’s structure has continued to deteriorate, causing previously inaccessible fuel tanks to collapse. The Canadian Coast Guard this new state of deterioration poses a significant risk of releasing a large amount of oil into the marine environment.
While the current amount of fuel upwelling from the shipwreck is minimal, the Canadian Coast Guard is taking action now to prevent long-term damage to areas of significant cultural value and to the marine environment.
Resolve Marine will use a process called “hot tapping” to reduce the volume of fuel in the tanks. First, drainage valves are attached to the hull, then a hose will be connected to the valves and the fuel will be pumped out into holding tanks on a barge.
The hot tap method has been used successfully on shipwrecks for many years, including during the Canadian Coast Guard’s successful response to the historic Nootka Sound shipwreck in 2021.
Given the nature of the operation, there is a small risk of a release of oil while draining. Canadian Coast Guard personnel are on-site and ready to respond if needed.
The Canadian Coast Guard said work is scheduled to begin in mid October and will take several weeks.