Coast guard to tow derelict vessel Farley Mowat from Shelburne wharf
Rusting vessel has been docked at town's wharf since 2014
The Canadian Coast Guard will soon be towing the derelict former anti-sealing vessel Farley Mowat away from Shelburne harbour, according to the town.
The hulk has been languishing at wharfside since September 2014.
Wolfville scrap dealer Tracy Dodds bought the ship to break it up for scrap, but he has said the falling price of steel made that impossible.
Dodds missed multiple court-ordered deadlines to remove the ship and in August 2016 he served 20 days in jail for contempt of court.
Farewell party
Town CAO Dylan Heide said there's no firm timeline yet, but he's been told the ship will be gone in "a few weeks." The coast guard will tow it away and "demolish" it properly, he said.
Heide said he'd like to throw a wharfside party to say goodbye to the eyesore vessel that once sank in the harbour and had to be refloated by coast guard contractors. He'd only need a few days of notice to "put a little something together," he said.
Dodds owes the town more than $50,000 in wharfage fees, which the town is attempting to recover in court. In January, Shelburne Mayor Karen Mattatall said the boat has cost the town about $150,000 in lost wharfage fees and expenses associated with regularly pumping out water to keep it afloat.
The Farley Mowat was once part of the controversial Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.