Ship's fuel leaks into St. Lawrence Seaway

[M.T. Al-Mansouri, Ph.D.]

The diesel spill covers about 500 square metres, authorities say. (CBC)

CBC NEWS: JULY 13, 2010: Public security officials say they will be able to contain a bunker fuel spill that shut down the St. Lawrence River Seaway for several hours on Monday night.

The fuel tank of the Canada Steamship Lines vessel Richelieu was punctured when it ran aground around 7:30 p.m. after it lost power near the Côte-Sainte-Catherine lock, south of Montreal.

CSL keeps emergency booms aboard all its ships, and deployed them immediately after the Richelieu ran aground, said Andrew Bogora, a spokesman for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.

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The breach was fixed just after 11 p.m., but an unknown amount of fuel escaped, possibly as much as 200 tonnes, according to SIMEC, another company handling the containment and cleanup.

The spill initially covered approximately 500 square metres, forcing emergency crews to shut the seaway and lock as a precaution.

On Tuesday morning, the South Shore Canal and the lock remained closed to support containment efforts around the ship, which is currently tied up on the lock's approach wall.

The lock acts as a funnel for the spilled fuel, explained Quebec public security services spokesman Yvan Tremblay.

"And if you close the funnel, we have a very nice element that will limit any containment spread," he said in an interview with CBC's French-language service.

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A warning about the spill was issued to neighbouring towns, including Candiac, Sainte-Catherine and La Prairie, where public health authorities will monitor their water filtration systems for any sign of fuel.

Divers dispatched to the site to examine the ship's reservoir found a hole the size of a basketball.

A helicopter surveyed the area to measure the spill.

The CSL vessel was carrying wheat. It's not clear how many people were on board, but the Richelieu usually operates with a crew of 23 workers. No one was hurt in the incident.

About five other ships will be affected by the canal closure.

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Federal Transport Minister John Baird said he's monitoring the situation closely.

"We have our officials on hand. We'll do everything we can to assist local officials," said Baird. "Obviously there'll be an investigation. The first priority, obviously, is to contain the spill."

Baird defended Canada's standards and regulations for maritime transportation, in light of the spill. "We have tough regulations in this country, and we'll do our level best to enforce them."

An official from the Transport Ministry emphasized the department's "polluter-pay principle."

"If any company breaks the rules, we will hold them to account," said James Kusie, director of issues management and parliamentary affairs at Transport Canada, in an email to CBC.

"The freighter will not be authorized to navigate until further notice. A Transport Canada inspection will have to be conducted before the freighter receives proper clearance to resume its operations."

CSL is the country's largest maritime company. Former prime minister Paul Martin bought CSL in 1981, and handed operations over to his sons in 2003.

The cleanup will take about two days.

 

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