Diesel Spill Sparwood (DGIR 221835)
Last updated on April 5, 2023DISCLAIMER: Information provided is based on reports received by Emergency Management B.C. Information provided is considered to be current at the time of posting, but is subject to change as new information becomes available.
Incident Description
| Incident Date | August 13, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Name | Diesel Spill San Juan Island (DGIR: 221835) |
| Source | Vessel |
| Nearest Community | Saanich |
| Spilled Content | Diesel |
| Who is involved? | B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (ENV), Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), United States Coast Guard (USCG), Emergency Management B.C. (EMBC), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) |
Response Phase Detail
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 clean up, the Ministry of Environment & 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. See More Information for other related 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).
Most Recent Update
August 17, 2022 - 4:00 pm
On August 13th a fishing vessel sank near San Juan Island off the coast of Washington State. As a result of the sinking, a sheen was initially visible in the area.
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has responded to the incident and as a precaution, the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) established an incident command post to liaise with provincial and federal agencies including Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Plans were also put in place to minimize the risk of pollution in the area as needed.
The vessel is no longer leaking and plans are underway to drain the remaining diesel from its fuel tanks and remove it from the water. Booms were put in place to contain the small amount of diesel which leaked from the tanks and both the CCG and USCG continue to monitor marine animals in the area.
The National Aerial Surveillance Program (NASP) conducted a fly over of the area on August 16 which showed no visible sheen or impact to the B.C. shoreline
Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.