Although not as much as first estimated, nearly 200 litres of diesel spilled into the water after two vessels collided Monday morning in Parksville.
The Canadian Coast Guard says it was notified of a spill near the loading dock in French Creek Harbour at 11:50 a.m.
The Coast Guard says a barge carrying a fuel truck struck the bow of a moored fishing vessel as it was leaving the harbour, causing a rupture in the tank of the fuel truck.
Sorbent pads have been deployed; and we are working with the owner of the barge to action next steps in the clean-up. pic.twitter.com/l3PNnlsJ6Z
— Canadian Coast Guard (@CoastGuardCAN) November 24, 2020
Initial estimates of the amount of fuel that spilled into the ocean were 300-to-500 litres, but that has been confirmed at 188 litres.
The Coast Guard says the barge crew were able to plug the leak and pump the majority of the remaining fuel into the vessel’s tanks.
Coast Guard deployed spill response equipment with sorbent pads to limit the spread of diesel in the harbour and recover any product.
A Coast Guard helicopter helped determine the extent of the spill this afternoon, and the owner of the barge activated the West Coast Marine Response Corporation to clean up the spill.
The Coast Guard says as of 5 p.m. all recoverable product has been removed from the marine environment.
Under Canadian law, the owner of the barge or any vessel is liable for the clean-up of the spill and all costs associated with the clean-up.
There are no reports of injuries in the incident.
CHEK News
