The decrepit ship that arrived in B.C. waters 13 years ago carrying Sri Lankans fleeing their war-torn homeland is being broken up for scrap after being abandoned in coastal waters.
MV Mini Fusion, previously known as the MV Ocean Lady, arrived carrying 76 people aboard. The arrival garnered international attention.
It was suspected but never proven that the ship was used by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to carry Tamil migrants to B.C.
Those on board were immediately detained in jails around the Vancouver area. Most were let go within weeks or months later and only one remained in custody on suspicion of the Tamil Tiger terror group.
Renamed the MV Mini Fusion, the 56-metre cargo ship wound up previously abandoned and anchored in Doctor Bay, Desolation Sound between Campbell River and Powell River near Cortes Island.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) said Aug. 15 that the Canadian Coast Guard removed hazardous substances from the vessel in 2021 to protect the surrounding waters from the risk of pollution, including removing 32,000 litre of fuel, oil and oily waste water. Despite that work, DFO said the vessel was assessed as a hazard and that deconstruction of the vessel was required to fully mitigate the hazard presented to the marine environment.
After a bidding process, Marine Recycling Corporation will salvage appropriate materials and recycle any scrap metal.
DFO said the MV Mini Fusion was transported from Doctor Bay to Duncan Bay near Campbell River for the work. To minimize environmental risks, the ship was placed on a submersible drydock.
The work is being done under the federal Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act.
“Wrecked and abandoned vessels are a serious concern due to the risks they pose to sensitive marine ecosystems and communities,” said Vancouver Quadra MP Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. “The Government of Canada is taking action to remove these potential polluters, and help communities keep coastal waters clean and safe.”
The ship was constructed in 1990 in Japan as a general cargo ship at 346 gross tons and 56 metres in length.
No convictions
Ocean Lady engine room worker Francis Anthonimuthu Appulonappa, Capt. Hamalraj Handasamy, trip planner Jeyachandran Kanagarajah and chief engineer Vignarajah Thevarajah were charged with illegal immigration offences.
However, in a July 2017 decision, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Arne Silverman said that while there was evidence of organized criminal activity in the case, Crown prosecutors had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the four men were connected to it.
He found all aboard the vessel provided mutual aid for each other during the perilous voyage.
