Tug recovery near Bella Bella delayed again by poor weather

Attempts to salvage a tugboat that sank off B.C.'s Central Coast nearly a month ago spilling more than 100,000 litres of pollutantshave been delayed again by bad weather.

The salvage crew working to raise the tugboathad hoped to lift the vessel Saturday, but Environment Canada issued a storm warning for the region calling for high winds.

It's hoped the salvage operation can resume Monday, said Jessie Housty, an elected tribal councilor for the nearby Heiltsuk First Nation.

• Tug recovery near Bella Bellastill hampered by stormy weather

Crews need a 36-hour window of clearweather in order to lift the sunken vessel from the water, Housty said.

Alarge crane from Seattle was brought in to hoist the tug onto a barge.

Last week, crews dragged the tug about 30metres into deeper waters of Seaforth Channel, positioning it so that it could be lifted onto thatbarge.

"We just need to rig it and rig the barge for lifting and do that at a time when we have a big enoughwindow to safely lift it," Housty said.

Shellfish beds closed

The Nathan E. Stewart ran aground on Oct. 13, about 28 kilometres from the community of Bella Bella, just off the coast of the Great Bear Rainforest, spilling diesel and other contaminants.

Since then,Fisheries officials have ordered the closure of shellfish beds vital to the economy of the Heiltsuk Nation.

Cleanup and salvage efforts have been delayed repeatedly by adverse weather.

Earlier this week, theHeiltsuk Nation said federal ministries were withholding important analytic data from early environmental samples taken at the site data it said could inform decisions about the community's health and environment.

The federal Environment Ministry issued a statement Saturday saying evidence will not be shared with spill response partners while the investigation is ongoing to protect the integrity of the work.

The Ministry said it will only release information during the investigation if the evidence reveals a serious risk to the environment or human health and safety.

With files from Canadian Press