Vancouver developer Howard Meakin has owned the famed Expo 86-era floating McDonald鈥檚 restaurant vessel known as the McBarge for decades, and despite its outward appearance, by no means is it derelict, he says.
The vessel was made famous during the 1986 World Exposition in Vancouver as a floating McDonald鈥檚 restaurant, though the vessel official name was the 鈥淔riendship 500.鈥�
Meakin said he was surprised to learn in recent media reports that the vessel appeared on the federal government鈥檚 national inventory of wrecked, abandoned or hazardous vessels.
It has since been removed from the Canadian Coast Guard鈥檚 list.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just ridiculous because it鈥檚 never been abandoned,鈥� Meakin said in an interview. 鈥淭he hull is in pristine condition. We鈥檝e had it surveyed and it鈥檚 concrete, the hull is concrete. It has a life expectancy of probably well over 100 years.鈥�
Up until 2019, it wasn鈥檛 even illegal in Canada to abandon a boat in the country鈥檚 waters, and now the Canadian Coast Guard is working its way through the inventory, armed with the power to fine owners of hazardous vessels that threaten marine environments or public safety.
So far, only one vessel鈥檚 owner has been issued a fine under Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act.
The coast guard鈥檚 list of wrecks now has nearly 1,500 entries, roughly two thirds of which are in British Columbia, but the agency cautions that all the vessels listed aren鈥檛 鈥渧erified and confirmed by the Government of Canada.鈥�
Robert Brooks, the agency鈥檚 director of marine environmental and hazards response, said in an interview that the list was launched in November 2022, and since 2017 more than 550 problem vessels have been removed from Canadian waters.
鈥淲e鈥檙e working every day to refine the accuracy of the national inventory,鈥� Brooks said.
In July, the Coast Guard updated the list and removed around 200 entries, and Brooks said the agency is working through the 鈥渟ignificant case volume,鈥� and welcomes public comments about potential inaccuracies on the list.
The McBarge is no longer on the list, nor is the Queen of Sidney, a former BC Ferries vessel sold off in 2002.
That vessel鈥檚 owner, Langley, B.C., resident Gerald Tapp eventually renamed the boat 鈥淏ad Adventure,鈥� and it remains moored on the Fraser River.
The ship has been used in film shoots over the years, including a 2018 episode of the X-Files.
Tapp complained to the coast guard about it鈥檚 inclusion on the list, insisting his ship is neither wrecked, abandoned, nor hazardous, but he鈥檚 been in a prolonged legal dispute,leaving the vessel鈥檚 future uncertain, he said in an interview.
When asked about the vessel鈥檚 current state and any future plans, Tapp, 86, said he was unsure as he prepares to deal with his legal issues.
鈥淭o be honest, I couldn鈥檛 tell you,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e got no idea. I might be dead before, so who knows?鈥�
A recently posted video online purportedly from the engine room of the Queen of Sidney shows the grimy and oily state of the vessel鈥檚 interior, and the Canadian Coast Guard said that it 鈥渋s aware of the video on social media.鈥�
鈥淲e are looking into this issue,鈥� Fisheries and Oceans Canada spokesman Craig Macartney said in an email. 鈥淢embers of the public should never venture into or on a vessel of concern due to the many potential hazards these vessels can pose.鈥�
Macartney added that the Queen of Sidney was last assessed in 2018 and it was found 鈥渋n poor condition, but was not a risk to pollute or a hazard.鈥�
It was added to the national inventory list nonetheless, but later removed after Tapp contacted the Coast Guard, and the agency took if off the list after concluding the vessel 鈥渨as not a risk to pollute nor is it a hazard.鈥�
Other derelict vessels on the list havelanguished inB.C. waters for decades, such as the MV Spudnik, a U.S. Navy freighter removed from the Fraser River in 2020, and the cargo vessel Mini Fusion, a human smuggling ship formerly known as the MV Ocean Lady, which was removed from Desolation Sound in B.C. last year.
鈥淭hey were significant hazards,鈥� Brooks said, adding they cost 鈥渕illions of dollars to address.鈥�
The Coast Guard also continues to deal with the Brigadier General M.G. Zalinski, a U.S. warship that sunk off the coast of Prince Rupert in 1946, whose hull is deteriorating and has been leaking heavy fuel oil periodically for years.
Brooks said the Coast Guard hopes to have the ship鈥檚 remaining oil removed by sometime next year.
鈥淐ertainly the Zalinski is a complex case,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t certainly highlights the complexity when you think about the scale of the challenge of addressing wrecked, abandoned, and hazardous vessels across the country.鈥�
Howard Meakin, the owner of the McBarge, said he is still confident the vessel can have a long second life as a tourist attraction symbolizing Vancouver鈥檚 journey from 鈥渕ill town to metropolis鈥� once the right home is found.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an iconic cultural attraction for B.C. and for Canada,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely, you know, on my bucket list to get done.鈥�
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