PROVIDENCE – Removal of the 113-foot-long sunken barge in the Providence River is slated to begin this week, the R.I. Department of Environmental Management announced Monday.
Weighing in at 150 tons, the barge sank into the river by the end of Public Street in South Providence during a severe nor’easter in 2017, leaving the structure mostly submerged, save for its mounted crane. It was owned by the now-defunct MG Marine Inc.
For years a lack of funding had prevented its removal, according to state and federal officials. The state released a request for proposals in February to remove the barge. Bids from two vendors – Northstar Marine Inc. and Costello Dismantling Co. – are under evaluation, according to the state’s online procurement database.
In September, DEM received a $1.5 million federal grant as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program for the barge’s removal.
“DEM is grateful for the federal funding provided by NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, which will allow us to remove the barge, a priority we’ve had for years,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “The removal will not only enhance public access to the waterfront around Public Street, but our partnership with The Steel Yard to repurpose the steel into an art installation is a win-win for the entire community.”
In collaboration with The Steel Yard, materials recovered from the barge’s hull will be used to construct community-informed art and amenities at the Public Street coastal right of way, the state agency said in its release. DEM is partnering with Save The Bay Inc. to host volunteer marine debris cleanups after the barge is removed.
Preliminary diving and surveying work by contractor NorthStar will be followed by the removal of the crane from the derelict barge, succeeded by lifting the wreck off the seabed and towing it to a local recycling yard for processing. Water quality testing will be performed before, during and after removal to ensure no contaminants are released from the barge. A silt curtain will also be in place to keep debris from floating downstream.
A shellfish survey will be performed before removal to assess the habitat of the area. All necessary permits for the project have been acquired. DEM is in close collaboration with the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and R.I. Derelict and Abandoned Vessel and Obstruction Removal Commission on the project.