Authorities are looking for the mysterious owner of a boat that ran aground in the River Richelieu more than two weeks ago, who still has not reported him.
The 28-foot boat ran aground on July 26 while being launched at the municipal quay in Saint-Basile-le-Grand without the owner notifying anyone.
Nautical patrol officers from the Richelieu-Saint-Laurent Inter-Municipal Police Department discovered the wreck shortly thereafter and contacted Transport Canada, which has jurisdiction over the matter.
Federal Department officials dispatched to the scene concluded that the boat posed a potential hazard to navigation.
The tender aimed at finding a company capable of pulling such a boat out of the water ended on August 5. The city of Saint-Basile-le-Grand hopes that the operation will be carried out without too much delay.
“The wreck will be hauled out of the water and dismantled soon, but the exact date has not yet been determined,” said Frédérica Dupuis, spokeswoman for Transport Canada.
owner
Such a maneuver to get out of the water incurs a cost to Transport Canada, which is usually reimbursed by the owner of the boat.
However, it is impossible to know who owns the boat in question as its registrations are out of order.
However, according to police in the area, it was not reported stolen.
“If the owner cannot be found, the costs will be covered by Transport Canada’s navigation protection program,” says Ms. Dupuis.
Meanwhile, the curious strolling through Prudent-Robert Park can see the bow of the boat still attached to the quay.
Unusual
Yves Lessard, Mayor of Saint-Basile-le-Grand
“I’ve lived in Saint-Basile-le-Grand for 48 years and this is the first time I’ve seen something like this,” says the mayor of the municipality, Yves Lessard.
According to him, it was quite unusual to see such a large boat docked at the quay of his city, which is more welcoming of small and medium-sized boats.
However, other boaters can continue to use the portion of the quay not occupied by the wrecks, while the Canadian Coast Guard estimates the pollution risk from this incident as low.
“However, it cannot be ruled out that a small amount of fuel could have escaped,” supports Ms. Dupuis.
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