A buoy is now the prime suspect in the case of Vancouver's runaway barge

The buoy that a wayward barge was moored to before it was spotted adrift in the waters near downtown Vancouver on Tuesday is no longer there.

The Kits Buoy somehow broke free from its weight and anchor on the seabed, and was dragged away by the runaway barge.

How it snapped will form part of investigations by Transport Canada and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

Shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday, the barge could be seen drifting in English Bay.

“We're very fortunate that someone picked up the phone, called 911, and alerted first responders,” said Sean Baxter of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

The Canadian Coast Guard then put out a call for all available vessels to assist.

“We got a call from the harbour master around 2:45 advising us that a barge had broken loose,” said Seaspan’s Sarah Gilbert, whose team was able to help secure the vessel and tow it away.

CTV News video shows the Kits Buoy still attached to the barge as it was being moved to Seaspan’s basin.

Mooring infrastructure like the Kits Buoy is critical to Vancouver, especially as the port gets even busier.

“Any time these types of incidents do occur, it provides us with an opportunity to review those procedures and enhance them as necessary, to ensure that this type of incident can’t occur again,” said Baxter.

Unlike the infamous barge that hit the shore in 2021, and stayed for a year, the response to Tueday’s incident was considered "excellent."