Barge grounded in Vancouver's English Bay not removed, details on recovery plan expected in coming weeks

A barge that's been grounded near Vancouver's English Bay since last month wasn't removed as expected on Monday, and the city says a recovery plan may not be released for weeks.

The barge was one of nearly two dozen vessels that were set adrift by a catastrophic storm on Nov. 15, according to the Canadian Coast Guard. The vessel operator previously told CTV News Vancouver that crews would attempt to remove it on Dec. 6 when a king tide was expected. 

But Dec. 6 came and went, and the barge is still aground.

"Removing the barge will be a complex undertaking due to its size, its location and the potential effects of water and weather conditions on the removal," the City of Vancouver said in an emailed statement.

"Ensuring public and environmental safety during the removal remains a top priority for all partners involved including the city."

The city said Transport Canada is expecting to receive a recovery plan "in the coming days" and that "more details will be known in the following weeks."

Transport Canada said in a statement that it expects "to receive the plan as soon as the owner's representatives complete their work," adding that it's "in contact with the City of Vancouver, the Canadian Coast Guard and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority on this matter."

The vessel has quickly become a piece of Vancouver lore, inspiring parody social media accounts and attracting onlookers daily. Both TripAdvisor and Google have review pages for the barge, which is receiving mostly five-star ratings from users. 

As of Friday night, the barge had an average rating of 4.9 on Google. By Tuesday, that rating had gone down to 4.7.

"This barge really floats my boat! Would recommend to all," one review says.

On TripAdvisor, however, the rating appears to be improving. On Friday, the "Sunset Beach Barge" had a rating of four out of five, but that has since inched up to 4.5.

Attempts were made to remove the barge with a tugboat shortly after the storm, but it wasn't strong enough to do the job.

Transport Canada has previously said there is no threat of pollution from the barge, which is empty and had been used to carry wood chips.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ian Holliday