Canadian Coast Guard releases review of B.C. spill response

British Columbia’s Environment Minister Mary Polak has called the Canadian Coast Guard’s review of the M/V Marathassa spill in English Bay a few months ago “a very good first step towards ensuring our coast is better protected from any potential spill.”

The bulk carrier ship spilled an estimated 2,700 litres of bunker fuel into Vancouver’s English Bay in April while on its first voyage.

“The 25 recommendations outlined in this report clearly articulate the need for the Coast Guard to improve spill response capabilities, and also serves as a roadmap towards ensuring that happens,” Polak said in a Ministry of Environment statement on Friday. “The Province is committed to working with all of our partners to see the recommendations are acted upon.”

Related: Crews work to contain fuel spill in Vancouver’s English Bay

The Independent Review of the M/V Marathassa Fuel Oil Spill Environmental Response Operation, also released on Friday, recommended that the CCG, Emergency Management British Columbia and the provincial Ministry of the Environment “jointly review alerting and notification procedures to promote a common understanding and approach between the organizations when assessing and notifying regarding marine pollution incidents.”

It also recommended, among others, that the CCG ensure that Port Metro Vancouver has the appropriate information, training and standards to assist their staff in performing assessments; that the CCG consider pre-established incident command post locations under a variety of standardized scenarios and that the CCG with the Government of Canada IT develops a “rapidly deployable communications and IT system that facilitates a more effective and timely electronic interface with partner agencies during an incident.”

Related: Ship that spilled bunker fuel into Vancouver’s English Bay was on first voyage

The report found that a “multitude of factors” were at play during the incident, including Canada’s Marine Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Regime itself, graphical representation of marine oil spill prevention in Canada, CCG’s readiness, resourcing and exercising, geography and weather, and public and political sensitivities.

“We are on the right path, but we also recognize there is still much more work to do towards achieving the sort of marine spill response capabilities we can be truly proud of,” Polak concluded.