APRIL 9, 2015
The toxic bunker fuel that has spilled in Vancouver's
English Bay has washed up on the city's popular beach in Kitsilano.
Vancouver police told CBC News that oil has washed up on the
shore at Kits Beach, where there are visible clumps.
The spill has spreading as a grimy sheen on the water,
and it may push the oil to shore in Burrard Inlet, the city tweeted.
Update: The substance spilled in Burrard Inlet is bunker
fuel. Boater & watercraft alert: fuel is toxic, do not touch. #VanFuelSpill
Clean-up efforts are underway by the Canadian Coast Guard
and West Coast Marine Response Corporation, using long orange booms on the
surface of the water, said Port Metro Vancouver.
Bunker fuel leaks from the bulk carrier cargo ship
Marathassa, anchored near Vancouver's downtown port terminal, on April 9, 2015.
The fuel spilled into English Bay Wednesday night is toxic and should not be
touched, the City of Vancouver warns. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)
The clean-up is being overseen by Transport Canada under the National Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Regime.
Oil spreading to shore
The oil has already reached the sandy beach at the foot of
Denman and Davie streets in Vancouver's West End, reported CBC's
Farrah Merali.
A video
posted by a Twitter user this morning of the north side of English Bay,
near the edge of Stanley Park, shows what appears to be an oily substance at
the water's edge.
Oil slick in English Bay now. pic.twitter.com/pEGXZcNaWT
Grain ship possible source of fuel leak
The coast guard's environmental response team was dispatched
to the spill yesterday.
The spill is surrounding a grain ship — named MARATHASSA — anchored in deep water off Vancouver,
said John Parker-Jervis, a spokesman for Port Metro Vancouver.
"There was a fair amount of product — what appears to be
fuel, oil for the ships, around a particular grain carrier," Parker-Jervis
said. As a precaution a boom has been constructed around the ship in an attempt
to contain the fuel, though the ship isn't yet confirmed as the source, he
said.
Five vessels currently surround the ship.
The ship was in the process of loading grain. There is no
evidence of fuel spilled between the grain terminal and where the ship is
currently anchored, Parker-Jervis said.
There is no estimate on the amount of fuel that has been spilled
What is bunker fuel?
Bunker fuel, also known as residual fuel oil, is the fuel
that powers commercial shipping
The toxic spill in Vancouver's English Bay has been identified
as bunker fuel, otherwise known as residual fuel oil.
According to the oil industry's material data sheets, the
oil is a complex blend of hydrocarbons derived from various refinery streams,
usually residue from the oil refinery processes. It is recommended for use in
marine diesel engines, boilers, furnaces and other combustion equipment.
The safety data sheet recorded by Shell Marine Fuel Oil in 2013, lists a number of hazards
associated with the combustible material, including the possible presence of
hydrogen sulphide, which is not only harmful if inhaled, but has a vapour that
can also be trapped in clothing.
The list of possible effects are listed as:
Harmful if inhaled
- Suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child
- May cause damage to organs or organ systems through prolonged or repeated exposure
- May cause cancer
- The fuel is also, according to Shell's data, extremely dangerous for the marine environment.
- Very toxic to aquatic life
- Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects
Source: www.cbc.ca