The wrecks consisted of a variety of vessel types. The wreck was cut into several sections. During May 1999, an ISU salvor began a major wreck removal project in the navigation channel leading to Calcutta Port. The task was to remove the wreck of the Green Opal. Wreck removals are performed only after measures have been taken to avoid pollution.
Some assignments have pollution prevention as the primary objective.
The barge sank in 1970. Wreck removal was the only effective remedy, to curtail continuous pollution of the Gulf of St. Lawrence by slow seepage from a cargo of 4,000 tonnes of oil. A major pollution threat to the Gulf of St. Lawrence was dealt with by removing the wreck of the tank barge Irving Whale. The ISU has developed a series of standard contracts for the performance of wreck removal services. These forms provide a model for the negotiation of contracts which balance the interests of all parties involved in a wreck removal operation.