Work to dismantle and clean up any remaining pollutants from the Hamilton Banker, a 100-foot fishing vessel abandoned on the coast at Colliers in Conception Bay is getting plenty of attention.

Traffic has increased in the area as people take in the ongoing operations.

The vessel, abandoned in 2006, was originally moored nearby but broke free during Snowmageddon in January of 2020 and ended up grounded near the shore.

Senior Response Officer with the Coast Guard Environmental Response, Andrew Wakeham, says when the boat first stranded, officials removed as many pollutants from the vessel as possible.

He says because of the list, the age of the vessel and where it ended up, it had to be partially dismantled to get at the rest of the pollutants. Once those remaining pollutants are removed, the rest of the vessel will be taken apart and removed from the scene.

The $1.8 million cleanup and removal contract was awarded to Marine Recycling Corp based out of Port Colbourne, Ontario.