CURRENT SITUATION:

Tug Westview Chinook was assisting the 63′ George H Ledcor tug and its loaded gravel barge in the North Arm of the Fraser River. The barge Girded the Ledcor tug putting 4 crew in the water. The Westview Chinook recovered all 4 crew and secured the tug alongside at the Sea Island Barge tie-up. Initial booming was conducted, and the responsible party arranged for a Rig and Scow to right the Vessel. WCMRC was tasked and is staged at MacDonald Beach.

At 1530 PDT August 15, 2018 the vessel was righted and continues to be submerged with approximately 22,000 liters of diesel onboard. Containment boom remains deployed around the downstream side of vessel to collect any free-floating oil. WCMRC and CCG remain on scene to monitor boom effectiveness at the vessel, downstream deflection boom, and provide immediate response to oil on the water. Additional SCAT assessments will continue tomorrow.

UNIFIED COMMAND:

  • First Nation Incident Commander – Morgan Guerin
  • Federal Incident Commander – Philip Murdock
  • Provincial Incident Commander – Ken Meeks
  • Municipal Incident Commander – Chad Paulin
  • Responsible Party Incident Commander – Mark McElligott

PRIORITIES / OBJECTIVES:

  • Ensure safety of responders and the public.
  • Manage a coordinated response.
  • Minimize the risk of release of pollutants,
  • Maximize protection of sensitive areas (biological, cultural, economic and socio-economic).
  • Contain, recover and dispose of spilled product.
  • Monitor for impacts on the environment.
  • Ensure timely and effective communication of incident partners, stakeholders, public, and senior managers.

SAFETY:

Safety is a priority during the critical lifting and salvage operations and will be discussed in detail on site before operations begin and throughout the process.

  • All vessels are using an agreed upon working channel (VHF CH 69)
  • Safety protocols remain in place and there have been no additional injuries or illness reported.
  • Results from continuous air monitoring by WCMRC and SCAT teams have found all results within Occupational
  • Exposure Limits notably no hits on H2S, VOC’s, and Benzene.
  • All incidents must be reported immediately by supervisors, so a proper safety investigation can be completed.

ACTIONS TAKEN:

  • Booms in place as of August 15, 2018 1445 PDT:
    • Containment of spill site (river boom and sorbents)
    • McDonald Beach Park (sorbent boom along boat launch and drainage)
    • Musqueam Slough/Creek (exclusion boom)
  • Vessel was successfully righted at 1530 PDT August 15, 2018.
  • CCG 709 provided transport to SCAT teams and remain in the area for traffic control.
  • Overflights from CCG Helicopters are postponed until tomorrow due to operational constraints.
  • Waste Management Plan complete with accompanying permits.
  • 2200kg of solid waste has been recovered.
  • Two SCAT teams were deployed on the north and south side of the river.
    • Incident site has no odor or sheen.
    • Light rainbow sheen observed on water and low tidal zone at McDonald Park west of Pirates Cove. Test pit showed no subsurface oiling.
    • Water assessments were taken at McDonald Slough with nothing to report.
    • Nothing to report at the north bank or Musqueam Slough.
  • Unified Command met with four news outlets to provide a media update at 1430 PDT August 15, 2018.
  • WCMRC mini barge is on scene with 40,000 L storage capacity.

CURRENT ACTIONS:

  • WCMRC and Coast Guard will remain on scene to recover any product if released and maintain effective booming containment.
  • WCMRC will have personnel at the staging site overnight.
  • FRPD, AMIX remain on scene with the upright tug.
  • All operations are suspended for the night and will resume tomorrow morning.

NEXT 24 HOURS:

  • Vessel is secured with three slings between the two crane barges.
  • Once the vessel is stable and buoyant, it will be towed under escort to Arrow Shipyard on Mitchell Isl.
  • Prior to the lift, there will be another site meeting between the operations personnel to discuss safety concerns and mitigation measures to prevent a loss of containment.
  • A vac truck will be sent to the Ledcor facility site if the skimming vessel reaches their internal capacity and needs to transfer that recovered oily water into alternate storage.
  • WCMRC dark site will be made live at the request of the province to share information.

WEATHER AND TIDES:

Winds NW 3kts. Wind light becoming southeast 5 to 15 knots late overnight then becoming light Thursday afternoon. Flood Tide. High tide @ 2149 PDT – at a depth of 4 meters. Approx. 1 kts current in flood direction.

INCIDENT COMMAND POST:

  • The ICP continues to operate out of the Musqueam Hall at 6615 Salish Drive.

STAGING AREA:

The staging area remains at McDonald Beach Park. On-water staging of equipment has been on vessels and barges around the response site.

AGENCIES INVOLVED:

  • Canadian Coast Guard
  • Canadian Coast Guard
  • Fisheries and Oceans Canada
  • Musqueam First Nation
  • BC Ministry of Environment
  • Environment Climate Change Canada
  • Transport Canada
  • Transportation Safety Board
  • City of Vancouver
  • Port Metro Vancouver
  • City of Richmond
  • Ledcor
  • Canadian Wildlife Service
  • Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
  • WCMRC
  • EMBC
  • Tsleil-Waututh First Nation
  • First Nations Health Authority