Province asks Ottawa to help clear MV Miner red tape

The Provincial Government is asking Transport Canada to help speed up the removal of a derelict ship off the coast of Cape Breton.

The Bennington Group was hired in May to dismantle and remove the wreck of the MV Miner, which has been stranded on Scatarie Island since it ran aground in September.

The salvage company said it thought local fishermen could be hired to use some of their boats to transport equipment and workers to the site. Final clean up was scheduled to begin in June.

However, Transport Canada regulations have slowed down that process. It says the small boats don't qualify to be used as transport vehicles.

Natural Resources Minister Charlie Parker says his only leverage is to continue to ask the federal government for action

"You know the province did step up here last fall. We cleaned up the floatable we cleaned up any environmental hazards that were there, " he said.

"Now the issue seems to be with Transport Canada. So we're calling on the federal government to also step up to the plate and work through the red tape process so that fishermen and others can work with the Bennington group to get this problem resolved."

Parker said he expects a revised work plan from Bennington by Monday.

A spokesman for the Bennington Group says they hope toupdate the community next week .