THUNDER BAY – The City of Thunder Bay has issued a formal request for proposals to lift the James Whalen tugboat out of the Kaministiquia River, but the work may not take place until the fall.
The historic tug sunk from its moorings at the Kaministiquia River Heritage Park on May 1, becoming largely submerged underwater.
The city expects to begin receiving responses to its RFP in the next couple of weeks, said manager of parks and open spaces Cory Halvorsen.
However, the city may have to extend the closing date for the RFP beyond the summer months.
“The companies that would be looking at doing this type of work are quite busy this time of year, so we’re probably looking at leaving the window to complete the work open into the fall even, just to make sure we’re not excluding anyone who may be available," said Halvorsen.
He expects proposals to come from a small number of local companies with the ability to lift the tug.
“There was a select number of contractors that would have the capacity to do so," he said. "Some of those people reached out to us directly, and then we also reached out to a few others.”
The city’s main goal is getting the tug out before the winter freeze, he added.
“That’s our objective,” he said. “It would likely cause some further damage to the top portion of the tug… We want to avoid that type of situation. As long as it’s done before we get to that point in the winter, nothing’s changed.”
City staff conduct a daily visual inspection of the area to monitor for any indications the boat is leaking contaminants into the river, Halvorsen said.
Its sinking isn’t expected to pose any environmental risk, as the boat was previously emptied of engine components.
The nature of the job has meant the city could not find an immediate solution to the issue, Halvorsen has said.
The James Whalen also partially sank in 2021, but crews were able to pump enough water out to keep it from fully submerging, this year will be a completely different story.
Once the tug is recovered from the river, it could be relocated. The city has been in discussions with the Lakehead Transportation Museum Society about moving it to the Pool 6 site near the Alexander Henry.
