Sound familiar? Coast guard vessels scramble to prevent barge grounding at Vancouver's Sunset Beach

An empty barge that broke loose from its moorings in Vancouver on Sunday nearly ended up grounded on a city beach, the Canadian Coast Guard says, in a near-repeat of an incident almost two years ago to the day.

The coast guard said in a statement that the blue barge, with the wording Ralmax on its side, began drifting away from where it was docked in English Bay around noon PT and moved slowly toward Sunset Beach — where a barge ended up grounded in November 2021.

Two vessels from the nearby coast guard station motored over to the barge to try to hold it in place until a tugboat could assist, the coast guard said.

One of the vessels secured itself to the barge, while the second pushed the barge from its stern.

WATCH | An onlooker recorded efforts to keep the barge from running ashore:

A commercial tugboat arrived about 30 minutes later, hooked onto the barge, towed it away and moored it to another buoy in Vancouver Harbour, the statement said.

The City of Vancouver said it was aware of the incident, but the coast guard led the response.

The close call on Sunday echoed the events of Nov. 15, 2021, when a barge washed ashore at Sunset Beach. Nicknamed "Barge on the Beach," it became a temporary local attraction and remained lodged there for a year until it was disassembled and removed. 

Ralmax Group of Companies in Victoria confirmed in a statement to CBC News that its barge, called the Ralmax 8-2, broke loose from its mooring in Vancouver's outer harbour on Sunday.

It said it was investigating what caused the barge to break free was and was co-operating with local authorities.

"As the barge was rescued prior to shoreline contact, no vessel or environmental damage was incurred because of this incident," said the statement. "We are grateful for the efforts and expertise of all involved."