Caught on video: Unmoored barge drifts toward Vancouver bridge

Vancouver -

An unmoored barge was seen drifting toward a busy Vancouver bridge during Monday's storm, prompting concerns about public safety.

While the empty barge eventually ran aground at Sunset Beach, it remained there for hours without being towed, forcing city officials to close down the nearby Burrard Street Bridge over fears the vessel could come loose once again.

On Twitter, the City of Vancouver said it's working with the Canadian Coast Guard and the Port of Vancouver to "assess the ongoing risk" posed by the unsecured barge.

Alarming videos posted on social media captured the vessel heading for the bridge in the early afternoon, amid gusting winds and choppy waves that flooded parts of the city's seawall.

The Coast Guard told CTV News the barge owner, who has not been publicly identified, is responsible for securing it and towing it away.

"The barge owner has been contacted and they are planning to retrieve it at the first available opportunity," a spokesperson said in an email before 6 p.m.

"Coast Guard crews from Kitsilano base have been on the water near the barge ensuring on-water scene safety."

It's unclear how the barge ended up drifting out of control in a high-traffic body of water.

There doesn't appear to be any risk of pollution on the barge, which was previously carrying wood chips, according to the Coast Guard.

"It has been confirmed that there are no hydrocarbons on board," the spokesperson said.

 

A large barge has floated into the shore at sunset beach... just a tad windy out here @CTVVancouver pic.twitter.com/3RMYJgxJx2

— Ben Nesbit (@BenNesbitTV) November 15, 2021

THERE’S A GIANT UNMOORED BARGE ON THE LOOSE HEADING TOWARDS BURRARD BRIDGE w pic.twitter.com/bmsnbqnlv0

— Jorge Amigo (@AmigoJor) November 15, 2021