City of Vancouver seeks $66k for beached barge costs from 2021-22

A popular photo backdrop on a Vancouver beach last year racked up thousands of dollars in costs — including removal and security.

The City of Vancouver said it is seeking reimbursement for more than $66,000 in costs associated with the nine-month beaching of a barge at Sunset Beach.

The barge ran aground after it broke free from its mooring during the devastating storm of November 2021.

It took nearly a year after its beaching to get everything completely removed from the site.

According to the City of Vancouver, the barge’s owner, Sentry Marine Towing, is responsible for the cost of removal.

In its year at Sunset Beach, the barge became an unexpected tourist attraction, drawing crowds of onlookers to pose for selfies.

Due to damages sustained to the barge, it could not be towed away and had to be deconstructed on the beach.

It was also the subject of at least one parody song, and the Vancouver Park Board installed a temporary parody sign dubbing the beach “Barge Chilling Beach,” a reference to the city’s quasi-official Dude Chilling Park.

The city said no additional costs are being sought and remediation work is not needed for the shoreline post-barge.

Global News called the phone number listed for Sentry Marine Towing. A man, who identified himself to be the owner Steve Budd, claimed the company reimbursed the city a long time ago.

When Global News asked about specifics none were given.

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— with files from Simon Little