Nova Scotia arrests tug that was towing bulk carrier when it grounded

HALIFAX - The Nova Scotia government has detained a Greek tug that was towing an old bulk carrier that ran aground off Cape Breton more than two weeks ago and is refusing to budge.

Karen White, a government spokeswoman, confirmed the move in an email Thursday night, several hours after Premier Darrell Dexter said he would make sure the stricken vessel is quickly removed if the current salvage operation gets bogged down.

White called it a "complicated situation with a lot of different people and levels of government responsible for the file."

She said Transport Canada detained the tug earlier in the day, but it was released before the province "arrested" it at about 4 p.m.

White said the province was negotiating with the lawyer for the tug Hellas "to protect provincial interests" in the event the environment is affected by the grounded ship and the province needs to "recoup those costs."

The MV Miner, an aging bulk carrier, was being towed to Turkey to be scrapped when the tow line broke and it ran aground off Scatarie Island. Repeated attempts to pull it free have failed.

Dexter said Thursday the province has to be ready to do something fast, even though the matter is largely within federal jurisdiction with the Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada at the helm of the operation.

"We don't want to allow it to languish over questions of who is responsible for it," Dexter said after a cabinet meeting.

"It is not good enough to simply pass this back and forth. ... I'm not ruling out anything, including taking on the job, if necessary."

However, a spokeswoman for the premier later confirmed that the provincial government was aware that a salvation company was already on the scene.

Still, Dexter said he was concerned the salvage operation could be delayed further because of arguments over who will pay the bill and the arrival of more rough weather.

As well, he said lobster fishermen in the area are concerned about losing their livelihoods if the ship starts leaking fuel.

"If there's an impact on those lobster fishing grounds, that's going to hurt us," he said.

The Canadian Coast Guard has confirmed that a Dutch salvage company has already removed 6,000 litres of marine diesel and another 3,000 litres of oily waste water from the ship.

The coast guard, in a release late Thursday, said efforts to remove an additional 3,000 litres of oily water from the ship had been halted by bad weather.

A visual inspection also found additional damage to the hull of the vessel, which appeared to have shifted closer to shore, the release said.

Dexter said he's received reports there may be problems with the original towing permits.