Vancouver barge removal nears completion
Posted November 15, 2022 9:21 am.
Last Updated November 15, 2022 7:32 pm.
Exactly a year after it washed up and got stuck at Vancouver’s Sunset Beach, the infamous barge pushed ashore by a wicked storm in 2021 is almost completely gone.
The company in charge of barge deconstruction tells CityNews the work is expected to wrap up this week — right on schedule.
Images from a livestream set up by Bluemist, which showcases various parts of the city in its videos, has been documenting the dismantling process, with the structure no longer visible Tuesday.
However, Vancouver Pile Driving says the barge isn’t fully gone yet, with some pieces under water remaining.
Deconstruction of the barge, weighing nearly 1.4-million kilograms, has been underway since August. The process came after attempts, including by a single tugboat, earlier in the year failed to pull it off the rocks.
Vancouver Pile Driving has been managing the work to cut the barge apart and remove the pieces. Initially, the company estimated it would take 12 to 15 weeks to finish the job. This week marks the 15th week.
It appears the work is right on schedule.
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The company previously said that once the last pieces of the barge are gone, work will be done to restore the area where the structure was resting.
The barge was pushed onto the rocks of the popular Vancouver beach on Nov. 15, 2021 by a fierce storm and king tide. At one point, there were concerns the barge would crash into the Burrard Bridge, though that scenario never played out.
While many have argued it was an eyesore, others embraced the barge.
Affectionately known by some as “Barge on the Beach,” the barge has been an unofficial landmark many people have visited to snap photos and even mark milestones at. The barge has been the backdrop for a proposal, has had its own live camera, and has even prompted the Vancouver Park Board to officially recognize it with a sign that read “Barge Chilling Beach.”
-With files from Kareem Gouda
