The salvage operation aimed at raising potentially hazardous wreckage from the ocean floor in Vancouver Island's ecologically sensitive Robson Bight has been put off until spring, B.C. Environment Minister Barry Penner said Friday.
"The federal government's view is that there were significant risks to carrying out this work this fall," he said. "Even at this time of year there can still be a significant number of killer whales in the vicinity."
Logging equipment and machinery, including a tank truck carrying 10,000 litres of fuel, was dumped into the internationally renowned killer whale reserve 290 kilometres northwest of Vancouver on Aug. 20, 2007 when a barge overturned.
The 11 pieces of equipment, which have been examined by underwater cameras, is lying in 350 metres of sea water at the bottom of Johnstone Strait, a major waterway on the northeastern side of Vancouver Island.
Penner said Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the coast guard maintain the whales are known to stay in the area through November, but by that time the weather "is getting bad."
"The consensus is that we should wait for the spring, now, and hope for the better weather that comes in the spring to coincide with the period when there is very little whale activity in that area," he said in a phone interview.
His preference was that the salvage operation go ahead this fall, but he said he is willing to abide with the decision.
"It's a tough call to make," he said. "I would to have liked to see it removed as soon as possible, but we also want to do it at a time when there aren't killer whales there."
"DFO was being particularly cautious," he added.
He also pointed to a recent study indicating the likelihood of metal corrosion leading to the tank truck leaking is less than originally thought.
The analysis, by a UBC engineering professor, concluded that it would take at least two and a half to three years from the date of sinking for the fuel tank to corrode through.
The Robson Bight habitat, also known as the Michael Bigg Ecological Reserve, was established to provide a sanctuary for killer whales and is one of the few areas in the world where they are known to drive themselves out of the sea onto so-called "rubbing beaches."
It includes 467 hectares of upland and 1248 hectares of foreshore.
Numerous charges have been laid against the master of the tug boat, the barge owners, and the logging contractor and equipment owner, Vancouver Island-based Ted LeRoy Trucking Ltd.
Last month a Dutch company with a partner in based in Seattle, Wa., was awarded the salvage contract by the B.C. environment ministry.
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