Sunken tug off B.C. coast remains stable as cleanup continues, report says

VANCOUVER – Cleanup crews are focused on containing a diesel spill on the waters off the coast of British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest since fuel recovery from the sunken tug won’t begin until Monday.

A report released Saturday by the federal and provincial governments, local First Nations and the tug company says the vessel that has two leaking fuel tanks remains in a stable position in the remote region that can only be reached by airplane or boat.

The report says initial attempts to contain the leaking fuel appear to be effective and a second boom has been installed around the site to help control the spread.

The tug was loaded with 226,875 litres of diesel and only 25,000 litres have been pumped out.

The tug is about nine metres under water with only its mast visible.

Crews are developing a plan to get to the remaining fuel in the tug, and expect to begin pumping it out into a safe container on Monday.

Assessment crews flying over the area noted a light sheen along the shore of the Seaforth Channel, but those sections of the spill have been deemed unrecoverable.

The area’s Heiltsuk Nation are working with a wildlife assessment team to determine the impact of the spill on the shoreline.