Cormorant listing badly in Bridgewater port

Engineers and master mariners are putting together a plan to deal with a former naval vessel that is listing badly in Bridgewater following last week's storm.

Firefighters used water cannonover the weekend to blast snow from the deck ofCormorant and prevent it from tipping further.

The former diving support ship in theRoyal Canadian Navywas decommissioned in 1997 and sold. It hasbeen docked in Bridgewaterfor 10 years.

There is only about 200 litres of fuel on board and the president of the Port of Bridgewater, Rick Welsford, says they are monitoring the vessel to make sure there's no environmental damage.

Engineers and master mariners are being called in to advise the owners what to do next.

"We have to get in and get a look inside the ship sometime this week and come up with a strategy," Welsford said.

The vessel was supposed to be sold in the fall, but that was delayed through the winter.

Now the weather has thrown a wrench in those plans.

"I was very disappointed to see it in this situation," Welsford said. "We felt this ship was almost sold and the ship was on its way out from Bridgewater."

Welsford says once the immediate concerns are dealt with, the owners will try to move ahead with the sale.