BRIDGEWATER — Nova Scotia ordered the Bluenose II to be hidden from public view before the deck and hull were torn apart and then chipped or burned off-site, according to the request for proposals on the project.

Tourism Minister Percy Paris said Thursday the requirement was likely put in place to ensure public safety.

"We have nothing to hide and want to make sure we are being transparent," Paris said.

The scope of the project is laid out in an attachment to the province’s request for proposals from companies interested in carrying out the refit of the iconic schooner.

The wording appears to contradict itself, saying the information contained in the "benchmark scope of work is intended to describe a restored vessel to replace the existing vessel Bluenose II."

The intent, the document says, is to restore the vessel so that it remains "faithful to the original shape and look of the Bluenose I and II" but with better-quality materials and construction methods to ensure it will sail for 50 years without needing any major work.

The document lays out what must be done in each stage of the project, from deconstruction to reconstruction and launching.

It says once the vessel is wharf-side in Lunenburg, items must be removed and stored, including the ballast, masts, rigging, hatches, hardware, electronics, safety equipment, interior furnishings, plumbing, and mechanical and electrical fittings.

The document then says the Bluenose is to be hauled into a marine slip, and the builder must "erect hoarding to prevent public viewing." The next step is to "deconstruct deck and hull and dispose off-site by chipping or burning."

It says the builder is to "retain a structural element for use in reconstruction as directed by owner."

Paris was asked why the hull was to be demolished away from public view and the wood taken away to be destroyed.

"I don’t know for sure, but I suspect the issue is one of safety; it was a safety feature.

"I know the whole plan was to let the public view the reconstruction of Bluenose II as it is taking place, but I know one thing they wanted to ensure first was . . . around safety."

But Paris said the province also wants to make sure people can observe the project so it has installed webcams at the construction site that can be accessed through the government’s website.

The contract allows for a one-year warranty on the vessel once it has been delivered to the province, which Paris said he believes is standard.

It also says Lengkeek Vessel Engineering Inc. of Dartmouth is providing the specifications and drawings for the Bluenose II and that the minister has "sole and exclusive" rights to the intellectual property rights and specifications of the ship.

Joan Roue, great-granddaughter of Bluenose designer William James Roue, has said she is the registered owner of the copyright for the vessel’s design. She said the province declined her offer to use the plans, and she issued a news release last week calling on the province to disclose where it got the plans for the rebuilt Bluenose II.

William James Roue’s original blueprints for the Bluenose, which was launched at Lunenburg in 1921, were used when the replica was built for Oland & Son in 1963, she said. Bluenose II was later taken over by the Tourism Department as a sailing ambassador for the province.

The reconstruction project is to cost $14.8 million. Of that, $12.5 million goes to the builder, Lunenburg Shipyard Alliance; $440,000 goes to Lengkeek Vessel Engineering; $350,000 goes to the project management firm, MHPM Project Leaders of Halifax; and $1.5 million is for infrastructure that will remain at the Lunenburg Shipyard, including improvements to its marine railroad.

The remaining $60,000 is for unforeseen expenses.