Beaches focus of Vancouver fuel spill cleanup this weekend

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Officials say most of the toxic bunker fuel in Vancouver’s English Bay has been cleaned up and they are now turning their attention to cleaning the shoreline.

Coast Guard assistant commissioner Roger Girouard says a Transport Canada flyover at sunset yesterday saw only about six litres left in the water and he expects most of it evaporated overnight.

About 2,700 litres of the black oil spilled on Wednesday from the MV Marathassa, a Japanese-made ship on its maiden voyage to pick up grain from Vancouver.

Girouard says crews have visited and assessed several spots on the shoreline, including the south shore of English Bay near Stanley Park, as well as Sandy Cove, the hardest-hit area in West Vancouver.

He says work will continue for several days to clean up the beaches, where he says soiling is relatively minor despite a couple of spots where oil coated some rocks.

Yvette Myers of Transport Canada says divers have been out each day to ensure that no further pollution has been coming from the vessel, and marine safety inspectors have boarded the ship daily.

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