A Ballard-based company has been hired to remove the large dock that washed up on an Oregon beach, remnants of the tsunami that devastated Japan last year. The Vancouver branch of Ballard Diving and Salvage has been paid $84,155 to dismantle and dispose of the 66-foot-long dock that appeared on the Agate Beach in Oregon earlier this month.
Ballard Diving spokesperson Eric Muller says the company has a contract with the Department of Natural Resources, and often responds to emergencies like oil spills or salvaging sunken ships. The company, which has been in Ballard for 4o years, was chosen to do the work because the dock is touching the water, and there are certain insurance issues at hand, Muller explained. If it weren’t touching the water, another company would have been contracted to do the work.
Muller said the dock will take about a week to dismantle, and each part will be inspected for radiation. Some pieces will be used for a memorial, but most will be taken to a local landfill after passing inspection.
The dock, which has become a tourist attraction since it washed up on the beach, is one of many pieces of debris washing up on the West Coast. More is expected in the coming months, and the Ballard Diving company expects more cleanup contracts to come.
