WATCH: Cleanup of English Bay oil spill continues
The cleanup continues in English Bay in the wake of Wednesday night’s fuel spill.
Canadian Coast Guard officials say almost all of the spilled bunker oil has been cleaned up. A Transport Canada flight surveyed the area Friday night and estimated only six litres of oil remained on the surface of English Bay and they figure most of that evaporated overnight.
About 2,700 litres of the black oil spilled on Wednesday from the MV Marathassa, a Japanese-made ship on its maiden voyage to pick up grain from Vancouver.
Coast Guard assistant commissioner Roger Girouard said that even the areas of the shoreline most affected by the spill suffered “relatively minor” soiling.
Girouard says the cleanup will take a few more days. The Coast Guard asks people to stay clear from contaminated areas and keep pets out of the water.
As for the source of the leak, marine safety inspectors are checking the MV Marathassa to ensure no more oil is leaking. Yvette Myers of Transport Canada says the owners of the vessel have been cooperating with the Coast Guard.
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The ship, which was built in Japan and sails under the flag of Cyprus, had just come out of the shipyard in February.
An earlier statement from the Marathassa’s owner, Alassia NewShips Management Inc., said all possible causes will be investigated, especially because this was the vessel’s first voyage.
The Coast Guard says they have not yet done any testing to determine how much bunker oil sank to the bottom of English Bay.
“That a small amount of oil might accumulate around some flotsam, a piece of wood, or something weighted, is certainly within the range of possibility, but we don’t expect any significant volumes to have gone down to the ocean floor,” Girouard said.
Meanwhile, the Vancouver Park Board says 12 oiled birds were spotted during cleanup efforts Saturday morning.
-with files from Canadian Press
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