A boat that sparked concern among some residents of North Vancouvers waterfront for its connection to a radioactive spill has left its anchorage in Indian Arm.
MCP Altona, which has been anchored off the Dollarton neighbourhood since the spring, was escorted by tugboat to the Ballantyne docks on the East Vancouver waterfront Wednesday morning to switch crews and see to other business in the wake of a recent change of ownership.
The container vessel had been sitting idle while its former owners and the owners of a one-time cargo duke it out in court over a Uranium concentrate spill that took place onboard late last year. A number of nearby residents have written to the North Shore News in that time voicing concerns over perceived health hazards posed by possible traces of the chemical. The vessel was remediated months ago and given a clean bill of health by federal officials before being moved to the inlet, according to the port. It posed no threat to public health, they said.
The Altona became contaminated in the final week of 2010 when an unspecified amount of powdered uranium concentrate commonly called yellow cake spilled out of toppled containers and into the hold when the ship hit rough seas en route to China.
The boat returned to Port Metro Vancouver for cleanup, a process that took weeks because of the chemicals radioactivity and toxicity.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and Transport Canada declared the Altona clean and safe in early May, at which point it was moved to Indian Arm while the legal battles got underway.
The owner of the cargo, Saskatchewan's Cameco Corporation, claimed the ships owners were responsible for the mishap, which Cameco said cost it close to $20 million. Facing the potentially costly lawsuit, the ships owners a company called MS MCP Altona GMBH went bankrupt, and the ship was put up for sale. That sale is now being finalized, according to the port.
Undeterred, Cameco went after other associated companies and companies involved in loading the cargo to get its money back. The case was expected to take some time to resolve.
Proceeds from the sale of the Altona will go to the defunct owners creditors. It remains to be seen how much, if any, of that money will go to Cameco.
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