Green Island Lighthouse Diesel Spill
Last updated on June 18, 2025Disclaimer:
- 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 | June 3, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Name | DGIR: 252157 |
| Source | Fuel tank |
| Nearest Community | Prince Rupert, B.C. |
| Spilled Content | Diesel |
| Who is involved |
Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Ministry of Environment and Parks (ENV), Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR), Metlakatla First Nation, Gitga'at First Nation, Haisla Nation, Lax Kw'alaams Band, Gitxaala Nation, First Nation Health authority (FNHA) |
Response phase details
The responsible person or spiller is legally required to cleanup or manage the cleanup of a spill.
In incidents where the responsible person is unknown, unable or unwilling to manage the cleanup, the Ministry of Environment and Parks (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
June 18, 2025
This is an operational update from Unified Command (UC) for the diesel spill at the Green Island Lighthouse, off the northwest coast of B.C.
- The response contractors have demobilized and left the incident site. Sampling results show that no further work is required to remediate the direct impacts from the diesel spill. The lighthouse keeper will continue to monitor the incident site.
- As there is no more threat of the spill continuing, and the remaining spilled diesel around the lighthouse has been successfully cleaned up, the incident is transitioning to sampling and monitoring the area.
- The Environmental Unit has completed the following plans for:
- waste management
- bird monitoring
- sampling sediment, vegetation and biota
- sampling bird eggs
- Unified Command has reviewed and approved all these plans.
- A contractor will be onsite to remove the waste from the site.
- Sampling is anticipated to start during the next available tidal window on or around June 24 depending on conditions.
Further updates will be provided once the sampling results have been received.
June 11, 2025
This is an operational update from Unified Command (UC) for the diesel spill at the Green Island Lighthouse, off the northwest coast of B.C.
- The spill is contained to the terrestrial area (land) around the lighthouse on Green Island. The spill was the result of an equipment malfunction causing a diesel tank to overflow. The spill has stopped and there is no more threat of further spillage or leakage.
- Ongoing assessments will monitor the marine environment in case the spill seeps down from the upland area.
- Aerial surveys have been conducted multiple times and there have been no observations of any recoverable diesel in the marine environment around Green Island.
- There have been no observations of impacts to wildlife.
- Wildlife specialists are addressing any potential concerns regarding gull hatchlings in the area.
- Cleanup crews and equipment are now on site cleaning up the area around the lighthouse, including the beach and intertidal zone.
- The Environmental Unit continues to work on:
- a waste management plan
- a wildlife plan
- sampling plans (including addressing food security concerns for the local First Nations)
Further updates will be provided once more information is made available.
June 6, 2025 - 8:00 pm
An overflight of the area was completed today. The only visible product, a grey sheen, was in the area where the fuel entered the marine environment near the lighthouse. This sheen is unrecoverable.
Resources to manage the clean up of the area around the lighthouse, including the beach and intertidal zone, continue to be mobilized to the island.
The Qualified Environmental Professional will be developing an assessment plan to address the spill impacts over the weekend.
A sampling plan the broader environmental impacts has been developed.
Ministry of Environment and Parks staff continue to support Unified Command and the Environmental Unit in this incident.
Further updates will be made once more information is available.
June 6, 2025 - 11:00 am
This is an operational update from Unified Command (UC) for the diesel spill at the Green Island Lighthouse, off the northwest coast of B.C.
- On June 03, 2025, at approximately 10:00am, the Green Island light station keep reported that an equipment failure occurred at the Canadian Coast Guard’s facility (located northwest of Prince Rupert in Chatham Sound) - resulting in a spill of 4,600 litres of diesel fuel that discharged onto land, with an unknown portion entering the ocean.
- Due to tidal action in the area, the diesel in the marine environment is not recoverable and is anticipated to continue to rapidly evaporate and disperse. The Canadian Coast Guard is ready to respond should the situation change.
- As the polluter, the Canadian Coast Guard has retained a Qualified Professional to undertake response and clean up of the land-based operation. This is being coordinated by the Fisheries and Ocean Canada (DFO) Real Property.
- Unified Command has been established with the Canadian Coast Guard, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Gitxaala, Lax Kw'alaams, Metlakatla, Haisla and BC Ministry of Environment and Parks (ENV).
- Unified Command is developing a soil and intertidal area sampling plan in coordination with the Nation’s to better understand impacts.
Further updates will be made once more information is available.
June 4, 2025
A diesel spill was reported from Green Island Lighthouse on Green Island, B.C., on June 3, 2025. An estimated 4,600 liters was released. There are impacts to land and the marine environment.
Unified Command has been established with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), Ministry of Environment and Parks (ENV), and local First Nations.
Resources are being mobilized to Unified Command and to the site for response and mitigation.
Further updates will be made once more information is available.