A truck carrying 17,000 litres of diesel has been successfully recovered from the environmentally-sensitive waters of Johnstone Strait on British Columbia’s coast.
The truck rolled off a barge just off the coast of Hardwick Island on April 20, coming to rest in about 35 metres of water.
Divers and teams from the Ha-ma-yas Guardians, the Canadian Coast Guard and the Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC) were deployed to seek out and patch leaks from the tanker.
“I’m immensely proud of all of our Guardians,” K’ómoks First Nation Chief Ken Price, said in a media release.
The guardians have been training on marine disaster response for three years with the coast guard and WCMRC, with a particular focus on the possible spillage of oil or chemicals.
“Not only K’ómoks but Guardians of the Wei Wai Kum, We Wai Kai and Tlowitsis Nations all worked together rapidly and effectively to assist in a situation that needed fast, experienced action to try and minimize environmental damage to our territories,” Price added.
The barge was en route from Menzies Bay to supply fuel to a logging operation on Hardwick Island when the truck rolled off during high winds.
Crews were able to pilot a remotely-operated vehicle to find the truck and allow dive teams to work to contain spillage.
The truck was finally lifted out of the water Friday afternoon, and a subsequent review determined up to 2,500 litres of fuel may have leaked into the ocean.
“They told us openly they could not have done this without us,” We Wai Kai Guardian Manager Shane Pollard said. “It was good to hear that appreciation for our work, and acknowledgement of how important our participation in response and recovery activities are.”
Guardians were scheduled to return to the site on Wednesday to check shorelines for pollution, and monitoring of the area is ongoing.