MV Miner clean up in the home stretch

The cleanup of the MV Miner is in its final weeks.

The bulk carrier ran aground on the shores of Scaterie Island off Cape Breton in September of 2011. The ship was being towed from Montreal to Turkey to be cut up for scrap when the tow line snapped.

Nova Scotia's Transportation Minister Geoff MacLellan says the last few pieces still in the water should be gone by the end of the month.

"​Looks like the vessel will be fully and completely re-mediated and removed from the water and the shoreline of the Scaterie," said MacLellan on Tuesday.

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The minister says the focus will then shift to cleaning up after the salvage.

"Once we complete that phase, then it moves into the phase of removing the camp, the equipment, the salvage scrap," said the minister. " All of those big pieces that are still there on the island now."

The company in charge of the clean up, RJM Construction of Antigonish, is now tallying up the bills to submit a final cost to the province.

MacLellan expects that figure to be at least $2 million higher than the $12 million budgeted for the work.

He says that's because of the 30 tonnes of asbestos found on the ship during the salvage.

Federal authorities originally estimated the ship was only carrying six tonnes of asbestos. Workers also discovered fuel on board and that too slowed operations and drove up costs.

MacLellan says those extra costs will be sent to Ottawa. 

​"We're still holding out that there is a responsibility there," said MacLellan. "But the reality is that we haven't had any feedback or response whatsoever from the feds."

"We're going to bring that number to the federal government for sure. So everything over the 12 where we're at now will be presented to the federal government and we'll make the case."