ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -- Federal officials say crews removed more oil than expected from a decades-old shipwreck off Newfoundland.
The Canadian Coast Guard said Thursday about 208,769 litres of oil were removed from the Manolis L last summer in Notre Dame Bay -- enough to fill 1,313 oil barrels.
The paper carrier sank near Change Islands in 1985 in about 70 metres of water and was dormant until April 2013, when fuel oil leaked from cracks in the hull during a powerful storm.
Ottawa awarded a $15-million cleanup contract to Ardent Global Marine Services last spring, after years of lobbying by area residents.
Federal officials said they had expected to recover substantially less oil -- between 115,000 and 150,000 litres.
Fourteen tanks aboard the sunken ship were pumped and flushed.
In addition to the Ardent Global contract, documents from 2015 showed that $1.7 million in federal money had already been spent trying to plug oil leaks in the ship.
