U.S. Coast Guard reports fuel spill near Vancouver Island coast
Posted August 14, 2022 3:23 pm.
Last Updated August 15, 2022 7:16 am.
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) says they are watching a fuel spill after a fishing vessel sank near San Juan Island, less than 20 kilometres northeast of Victoria.
The 49-foot vessel sank with over 9,800 litres of diesel and oil on board, the USCG said Saturday.
They add that the crew were rescued by a good Samaritan.
Since the boat sank, the (USCG) says they have put down absorbent booming in the water, and crews are on scene.
“A dive team is on scene today to determine the best way to remove the boat and contain/remove pollutants,” said a USCG statement on Twitter.
(1/4) #MidDayUpdate This morning a Unified Command was stood up to respond to the pollution incident west of San Juan Island. This Unified Command is made up of the USCG and State Department of Ecology as the Unified Commanders with branch assistance from @NOAA and WDFW….
— USCGPacificNorthwest (@USCGPacificNW) August 14, 2022
Killer whales make their home in the area, and the USCG says they are monitoring the path of any local pods.
They add that while no whales are in the area at the moment they are ready “to deploy authorized deterrents.”
“These measures will keep whales clear of the impacted area,” said the USCG on Twitter.
The USCG adds that alongside the Whale Museum of Friday Harbor, the Southern Resident killer whales were monitored overnight and it appears they are heading west near Port Angeles.
Residents of B.C. can report marine pollution to the Canadian Coast Guard at 1-800-889-8852.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to refer to this as a “fuel spill” instead of an “oil spill”
