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Diesel spill sopped up in Nanaimo Harbour

About 200 litres of diesel spilled into the water at 10:35 a.m. Saturday when an Island Tug and Barge fuel barge was about to transfer oil into onshore tanks at the Suncor fuel terminal at Brechin Point.

Cleaning crews were busy sopping up a diesel spill in Newcastle Channel on the weekend.

About 200 litres of diesel spilled into the water at 10:35 a.m. Saturday when an Island Tug and Barge fuel barge was about to transfer oil into onshore tanks at the Suncor fuel terminal at Brechin Point.

Edward Dahlgren, Nanaimo Port Authority harbour master, said oil was spilled directly into the water from the barge and the incident is under investigation to determine why.

"At this point, all we know definitively is that oil product ended up in the water," Dalhgren said.

Dahlgren said terminal crews had containment booms set up around the barge within 15 minutes of the incident. Nanaimo Harbour Patrol and Burrard Clean Operations responded to the spill, which drifted into Newcastle Channel.

Most of the spill settled near Stones Marina.

Pilings, docks and boats helped contain the oil slick to the immediate area in and around the marina, but also made it more difficult to clean up. Crews were on site until 6 p.m. Sunday mopping up the oil with absorbent materials.

Marc Stones, Stones Marina owner, said the oil appeared as a thin sheen on the surface of the water.

"This is where they sort of sequestered it," Stones said, adding there were minor disruptions at the marina.

Marina operations were back to normal as of Monday.

"Oil went where it wasn't supposed to, but we're confident the service provider is showing extremely good due diligence and, in conjunction with the regulatory authorities will conduct a thorough review," Dahlgren said. "It simply is not worth it to them to not be exceptional. You could be out of business."

He said there is always concern when petrochemical products are spilled in the water, but because of nature of the product and time of the spill, there should be no long-term environmental impact.

The oil and the absorbent material it was collected with was transferred to the Lower Mainland for incineration.

All the diesel supplied to Vancouver Island is transferred through the Brechin Point facility.



Chris Bush

About the Author: Chris Bush

As a photographer/reporter with the Nanaimo News Bulletin since 1998.
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