English Bay fuel spill review finds Coast Guard communication comes up short

By

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – An independent review into the fuel spill in English Bay back in April has found confusion over roles and responsibilities, miscommunication and technical difficulties led to an almost two-hour delay in the response.

The report was commissioned by the Canadian Coast Guard after a malfunction on the grain carrier MV Marathassa caused about 2,700 litres of bunker fuel to spill into the bay on April 8th.

It finds the ship’s owners slowed reaction to the emergency because they refused to admit the vessel was the problem.

Former assistant Coast Guard commissioner John Butler conducted the review and criticizes the Coast Guard for the way it handled the situation.

“There was a delay of one hour and 49 minutes in initiating the response that could have been avoided,” he says. “The local governments needed to be informed earlier so that the public could have been made aware of the incident.”

Butler’s recommendations focus on clear lines of communication.

“The facts of the review have indicated to me, that the Coast Guard and its partners need to plan together and exercise together, so that everyone is clear about who is to do what and when,” says the former assistant Coast Guard commissioner.

Butler has made 25 recommendations on how future marine spills could be handled differently. They include ensuring that the Coast Guard has adequate staff to respond to a major marine pollution incident, that it conduct exercises with First Nations, and that accurate information is released as quickly as possible.

“(The time) to the moment where response was initiated was one hour, 49 minutes. He (Butler) has provided the Coast Guard with recommendations to avoid this delay from happening again. And we are taking action on every one of these recommendations. We know we must prevent this from reoccuring,” says Coast Guard Commissioner Jody Thomas.

“The Coast Guard recognizes the importance of initial communication with our partners. And we have already begun reviewing our existing protocols with them, to make sure they are as effective possible.”

Butler says the closure of the nearby Kitsilano Coast Guard base did not worsen the response to the spill.

Premier Christy Clark and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson criticized the Coast Guard’s response at the time, with Robertson questioning why the city was not alerted until 13 hours after the spill was discovered.

Click here to read the report.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today