Fuel Spill Nanaimo
Last updated on August 9, 2023Disclaimer:
- Information provided is based on reports received by Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR).
- Information provided is considered to be current at the time of posting, but is subject to change
Incident description
| Incident Date | July 26, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Name | DGIR: 232784 |
| Source | Cargo Ship |
| Nearest Community | Nanaimo, BC |
| Spilled Content | Heavy fuel |
| Who is involved | Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (ENV), Snuneymuxw First Nation, Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), Western Canada Marine Response Corp (WCMRC), Newman Shipping BVI ltd |
Response phase details
The responsible person or spiller is legally required to clean-up or manage the clean-up of a spill.
In incidents where the responsible person is unknown, unable or unwilling to manage the cleanup, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (ENV) may assume the role.
The updates below reflect the ministry’s oversight of the spillers’ actions. Details describe the spill response phase only and not the complete lifecycle of the spill. Visit the 'More information' page for other reports.
Updates are in reverse chronological order with the most recent at the top.
Industry-specific language may be explained in the Glossary of Terms (PDF, 106KB).
Most recent updates
August 9, 2023
An Environmental Emergency Response Officer continues to work in unified command with the Snuneymuxw First Nation, Canadian Coast Guard, Nanaimo Port Authority, and the responsible party.
The shoreline cleaning has been effective and sufficient. Most treatment consisted of wiping rocks, logs, and other hard surfaces with sorbents to remove the contamination. Where excavation was required, it was completed by hand with shovels to minimize impacts. Treatment has been completed in the Cameron Docks, BC Ferries Floats, and New Castle Island areas. Shoreline cleaning continues in the remaining impacted sections with completion and sign off inspections expected by the end of next week.
About 4,200 feet of soiled boom has been removed from the marine environment. Some boom remains in the marine, but it was not soiled and will be collected in the coming days.
Environmental Emergency Staff will remain engaged in inspections and sign off through completion. Given the effectiveness of the cleanup, no further updates are anticipated.
August 8, 2023
An Environmental Emergency Response Officer continues to work in unified command with the Snuneymuxw First Nation, Canadian Coast Guard, Nanaimo Port Authority, and the responsible party.
All on-water operations have concluded and include over 1200m of boom and 8 response vessels from WCMRC and the Canadian Coast Guard.
More than 12km of shoreline have been assessed for impacts. Unified command has identified approximately 600m of shoreline requiring further response actions or clean up. Assessments and evaluations of the effectiveness of the shoreline cleaning (SCAT Assessments) are anticipated to begin today.
The vessel has been loaded and has now departed Nanaimo and is continuing normal operations.
Additional updates will be provided as the response progresses.
August 2, 2023
EEP’s Environmental Emergency Response Officers continue to work in collaboration with other agencies to keep the response on track.
Throughout the weekend, EEP participated in a shoreline assessment with agency representatives from the Snuneymuxw First Nation, Polaris, and Canadian Coast Guard and no significant oiling was observed.
Containment booms that have been placed around the vessel remain effective and all response operations waste has been taken offsite to its designated receiving facilities.
Additional updates will be provided as the response progresses.
July 28, 2023
EEP continues to participate in unified command. On July 27th, EEP conducted an initial shoreline assessment with the Snuneymuxw First Nation and WCMRC representatives and no visible impacts were observed. As of July 28th, 3,900 feet of boom has been deployed which has contained the spill.
EEP continues to monitor the situation and will update the public.
July 26, 2023
On July 26th, the Environmental Emergency Program (EEP) Response Section was informed that an unconfirmed amount of heavy fuel oil spilled during a fuel transfer in Nanaimo Harbour. An incident command post has been established to oversee the response and an Environmental Response Officer is participating in unified command with the Canadian Coast Guard and Snuneymuxw First Nation. Containment of the spill and fuel recovery are underway.
EEP will continue to update the public as the response progresses.