Federal government awards $15M contract to remove oil from sunken freighter

Ottawa has awarded a $15-million contract to a company to remove bulk oil from the Manolis L shipwreck off Newfoundland and Labrador.

Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced that Ardent Global has been chosen to remove the oil from the freighter that went down near Change Islands in Notre Dame Bay.

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The paper carrier sank in 1985 in about 70 metres of water and was dormant until April 2013, when fuel oil leaked from cracks in the hull during a powerful storm.

A statement says the Canadian Coast Guard has been monitoring the Manolis L and conducting pollution containment operations.

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LeBlanc says Ardent Global will remove all recoverable oil from the wreck, with the work expected to begin this July.

A technical assessment in 2016 found there was 115 to 150 cubic metres of oil trapped in the wreck, along with about 60 cubic metres of diesel.