Close to 30,000 litres of bunker oil gushed into the waters of Howe Sound north of Vancouver last Friday when a ship ruptured a fuel tank while attempting to leave port. Strong winds pushed the 42 tonne Westwood Annette, a Norwegian cargo ship, back into terminal pilings, puncturing one of its fuel tanks in two places.
By Monday, cleanup crews had recovered two-thirds of the spill in the immediate area of the accident, but damage to the nearby ecologically sensitive Squamish Estuary, home to 13 species of wading birds and Canada geese, has environmentalists concerned. So far it is estimated that about 100 geese and three kiteboarders, who happened to be on the water at the time, were coated in the odorous, sticky fuel.
While the kiteboarders were able to go to a hospital to get checked and cleaned, the geese weren't so lucky. When the Canadian Wildlife Service, which is monitoring the situation along with the B.C. Environment Ministry, tried to catch the oil-soaked birds to clean them, they simply flew away.
"They sent people in who aren't trained to catch the birds, [so] of course they're going to fly away," says an indignant Edith Tobe, resource biologist with the Squamish Rivershed Society. "I am very concerned for the wildlife. I would like to see a rescue company be brought in right now—Saturday would have been better—to start cleaning the birds."
On Saturday afternoon, Provincial Environment Minister Barry Penner visited the scene and took a helicopter tour of the region. The Canadian Coast Guard, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
Tobe says that while as yet there's no evidence of any dead fish, that doesn't mean they haven't been impacted. She says seals and otters, who also populate the estuary, are usually pretty smart about avoiding contaminated areas. She believes other birds that could have been affected may have gone to isolated areas to preen themselves in an effort to remove the oil.
While it's expected that the remaining oil floating on the surface of the water will be cleaned up within the coming week, the estuary and marsh areas will take longer.
Tobe says bunker oil is "extremely corrosive," and locals have been warned against wearing boots and clothing other than what's assigned, as the oil can eat through them. Bunker fuel is heavy and doesn't evaporate or break down as rapidly as diesel fuel. The estuary has been closed to the public for the duration of the cleanup.
"Now that we're over the initial panic we have to get into the long-term damage control," says Tobe. While she's "quite impressed" with the cleanup efforts, Tobe says she'd like to see the B.C. government push for stronger measures to ensure that the company, Gearbulk, be held responsible for any resulting damage to the environment. So far, cleanup of the spill has cost more than $100,000.
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