Spill recovery crews were busy on Nanaimo Harbour this morning after a cargo ship experienced a fuel leak that spilled into the water.
Michael Lowry, Western Canada Marine Response Corporation communications manager, said the company was alerted to the spill on Wednesday, July 26, by the crew of a cargo ship docked at the Nanaimo Port Authority Assembly Wharf.
B次元官网网址淲e got activated this morning, about six or seven oB次元官网网址檆lock, by the Maipo River,B次元官网网址� Lowry said. B次元官网网址淭hey had reports of a fuel spill. It was low-sulphur fuel, so basically the fuel that runs the vessel.B次元官网网址�
WCMRC deployed three boats from its Nanaimo base to start an operation to contain the fuel while the crew of the Maipo River controlled the source of the fuel leaking from the vessel.
The 180-metre long, 21,000-tonne bulk carrier ship was built in 2009 and sails under the flag of Hong Kong, according to Vessel Finder.
B次元官网网址淲e contained the vessel with boom and then we began some further containment around the jetty where the vessel is,B次元官网网址� Lowry said.
The company also called in three craft from its base in Sidney that are capable of skimming oil from the surface of the water as a precautionary measure. An incident command post, led by the Canadian Coast Guard, has been set up at WCMRCB次元官网网址檚 Nanaimo response base.
Lowry said how much fuel was actually spilled was still being assessed.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e just trying to figure that out right now,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t looks like a fair amount of fuel was captured by the log boom around that vessel, so we arenB次元官网网址檛 seeing a lot outside of that containment area, but I donB次元官网网址檛 have any confirmed numbers.B次元官网网址�
He said there were no challenges or difficulties presented by weather during the containment operation, but he did not have an estimate regarding how long the total spill collection or clean-up might take.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 still unfolding right now,B次元官网网址� Lowry said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e doing some protection strategies along the shoreline if the sheen reaches there.B次元官网网址�
He did not have information about how the spill started or what the crew of the Maipo River did to control it from the ship.
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chris.bush@nanaimobulletin.com
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