A vessel that was polluting the marine environment in a Guysborough County fishing community has been removed.

The tug Craig Trans had been moored near Marie Joseph since 2017.

After receiving a report last spring, the Canadian Coast Guard confirmed oil pollution in the vicinity.

RJ MacIsaac Marine Recycling and Construction from Antigonish was awarded the contract to dismantle and remove the tug last fall.

Over 850,000 litres of contaminated water had been removed by the end of February.

Since the completion of the three-month coast guard operation, the steel has been recycled and all waste disposed of at approved waste facilities.

In a government release, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard,  Diane Lebouthillier said, “”I am pleased to announce that work to remove the tug Craig Trans has now been completed and the vessel has been permanently removed from the marine environment. I want to thank the Canadian Coast Guard for their important work, which makes it possible to neutralize, every year, many risks posed by these problem vessels, from coast to coast to coast.”