News
Planned sinking of artificial reef in Canada in ‘final stages’ despite staunch opposition
CANADA – British Columbia’s Artificial Reef Society has said that it is in the final stages of preparation to sink HMCS Annapolis in Halkett Bay Provincial Marine Park off Gambier Island in Howe Sound.
But groups opposing the plan to sink the decommissioned destroyer say the reef society is getting ahead of itself as there are legal and environmental issues that have yet to be resolved.
The project has faced opposition since 2008 from the Save Halkett Bay Marine Park Society and Georgia Strait Alliance and has also faced financial challenges. The ship was even seized by the court at one point over a dispute with the company mooring it.
“Throughout all that difficulty, we navigated successfully to where we are right now through careful planning and adhering to the rules and regulations and being fully compliant and even exceeding the standards with the government to the extent that we’re now fully permitted,” said Howard Robbins, the Artificial Reef Society’s president. “We’re hoping to get it down before the end of January.”
When the time comes, the 113-metre vessel will be towed into place and anchored to concrete blocks before specially designed explosive charges will punch square holes in the hull allowing it to sink about 32 metres to the seafloor.
Once inspections have been carried out, the Annapolis will be available to be explored by qualified divers who it’s hoped will document the various species that move into the wreck in a citizen-based science project called the Annapolis Biodiversity Index Study.
But the Save Halkett Bay group hired an independent lab in November to take a paint sample from the hull, which was tested and shown to contain tributylin, a toxic anti-fouling agent designed to prevent sea life from growing on ship hulls. It was banned by the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization in 2008 and by the Canadian government in 2009.
“It doesn’t actually matter what the quantity is because it’s a substance that’s not allowed to be disposed of, especially at sea,” said Save Halkett Bay spokesman Gary MacDonald. “We simply don’t understand why the Artificial Reef Society isn’t pausing and really checking to make sure the ship is clean.”
Robbins, however, said he questions the validity of the Save Halkett Bay group’s testing and that he will defer to Environment Canada, which has the final say on the project. “We follow Environment Canada’s rules. They’re the ones that set the standards and they’re the ones that have certified the ship as ready to go and clean for the environment,” he said. “The remaining opposition is simply NIMBYism masking itself as environmentalism.”
Save Halkett Bay is now formally asking Environment Canada for a board of review to re-evaluate the Annapolis’s permit and for a full independent inspection of all the materials aboard the destroyer. The group is also awaiting a response to its court petition to stop the sinking. The petition filed in B.C. Supreme Court in October cites the project’s failure to comply with provincial park regulations. The petition also cites other groups that have opposed the sinking, including the Islands Trust, on the grounds that sinking the ship would violate its land use bylaws and the United Church of Canada because it owns a campground on Halkett Bay where kids go canoeing and swimming.
Much of the controversy over the project has been misplaced, according to Jeff Marliave, vice-president of marine science at the Vancouver Aquarium and an independent arbiter on the project. “The seafloor in the area where Annapolis will be sunk was permanently damaged by layers of Douglas fir bark piling up during log booming years,” he said. “I think, in all, this is a very safe place to put down a feature that will become a very safe dive site.”
Marliave added that the ship will create new habitat and will prevent divers from damaging natural reefs. “I would predict from what we know about Halkett Bay that we’re going to be seeing glass sponges and rock fish and all kinds of things,” he said.
Source: www.nsnews.com
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Ho Ho Ho! Vobster Quay’s recording-breaking charity Santa diving event returns on Sunday 15th December 2024 for another round of festive fundraising frivolities. Run in aid of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Help For Heroes, this ever-popular annual fundraising event aims to raise sack-loads of cash for these two very deserving charities.
Divers of all levels are invited to grab their Santa outfits – and as much festive cheer as they can muster – and head down to Vobster Quay near Mells, Somerset for a mass sponsored Santa dive in aid of charity. In previous years, the event has attracted divers from the far corners of the UK to join in the festive merriment for a final festive dive before the Christmas and New Year break. Back in 2015, the event smashed the world record for the most Santa divers with 188 divers taking to the waters donning their festive finery – a record that remains unbeaten to this day!
Vobster Santas isn’t just about setting records – it’s also about raising some serious cash for charity. Vobster Quay encourages all divers to get into the spirit of the season to raise much-needed funds for two very deserving charities – the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Help For Heroes.
Through individual sponsorship and online donations, divers can invite their friends, family and work colleagues to sponsor them to plunge into the balmy waters of Vobster Quay dressed in full festive finery. Since the very first Santa dive in 2007, the event has raised over £52,000 for charity. “It’s been over 17 years since the very first charity Santa dive took place at Vobster Quay and every year the event just keeps getting bigger and better” enthused Vobster Quay owner, Amy Stanton.
“Vobster Santas is a great way for divers to say a massive thank you to the both the RNLI and Help For Heroes – two very deserving charities close to our hearts. We’re immensely proud of all that Vobster Santas has achieved and hope that even more divers will join this year’s event on Sunday 15th December. I’m confident that we can make Vobster Santas 2024 the biggest yet!”.
Divers wishing to participate can get involved by simply registering their attendance at
www.vobster.com/event-vobstersantas.php.
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