Despite the best efforts of crews working to salvage a capsized tugboat on the Fraser River, the George H. Ledcor remained partially submerged as of Wednesday evening.
The vessel sank off Deering Island in the Fraser River between midnight and 1 a.m. on Tuesday.
All four people onboard managed to make it safely to shore, and the cause of the capsizing remains under investigation.
Coast Guard environmental response Supt. Philip Murdock said there’s no firm timeline for when the boat will be removed.
“I’m reluctant to give a time because I had hoped we would be more or less up and out by now, and clearly we’re not there,” Murdock said on Wednesday.
WATCH: Crews work to raise sunken tugboat in Fraser River
Booms remained in place around the tug on Wednesday, but a sheen was visible on the water as crews worked.
“As the vessel was uprighted, we did see some oil come out of the vessel. That was contained within the booms that had been set up to take care of that very concern, and West Coast Marine Response was able to recover most of that oil,” Murdock said.
“There is some sheening on the river, but this is to be expected in this type of operation.”
At the time of the incident, the tugboat was carrying as much as 22,000 litres of fuel but officials do not know how much ended up in the water.
The spill has forced the closure of a pair of parks along the Fraser River.
McDonald Beach Park in Richmond and Fraser River Park in Vancouver have both been closed.
The City of Richmond and the Vancouver Park Board say those actions are being taken “out of an abundance of caution.”