CORNWALL, Ontario – Nearly 10,000 litres of diesel fuel is believed to be trickling from a pair of tugboats overturned on the St. Lawrence River near Cornwall, and some geese in the area are getting covered with an oily substance.
J.J. Brickett, a superintendent of environmental response with the Canadian Coast Guard, said Tuesday his agency and others are monitoring the scene of a double-capsizing Monday that saw two tugboats go under the water.
Brickett said the coast guard has been told that the larger tug, the Lac Manitoba, contains some 9,700 litres of diesel fuel, while the smaller LCM 131 has about 227 litres on board.
He said the fuel tanks appear to be holding for the most part, but because the tanks are submerged, the strong river current is likely pushing some of the fuel out tank vents.
“I would say it’s probably a very small trickling of the tanks,” he said. “We haven’t had a big sudden rush.”
But that’s not to say some fuel isn’t being seen downstream. There is a noticeable sheen on some parts of the river, and Seaway News has been contacted by individuals with imagery of wildlife, including a goose, that was covered in an oily substance.
Brickett said the coast guard is monitoring the tugs and river downstream to determine the severity of the situation and environmental impacts.
“The first priority is safety,” he said, adding second to that is clearing the area of pollution. “All indications we have are the tanks are intact.”
Brickett said if diesel fuel is released into the environment as much as 60 per cent of it can evaporate in any 24-hour period.
The City of Cornwall’s water intake is located upstream of the incident, near the R.H. Saunders Generating Station.
Cornwall police have barred access to the Cornwall boat launch so that emergency officials can have clear access to the river if they need it.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has deployed a team to Cornwall to investigate Monday’s tugboat incident.
The tug Lac Manitoba went under the water around 4 p.m., while a few hours later a smaller tug capsized, TSB said in a statement.
But there was confusion as to the name and ownership of the second tug.
The TSB initially said in a news release that the tug is known as the Dyna-Mo.
But Nadro Marine, the owners of Dyna-Mo, said that vessel is in Saskatchewan – not Cornwall.
“We don’t know the name of that second tug, and we don’t know who owns it,” said Shawna Smith, a spokesperson for Nadro, which also owns the Lac Manitoba.
A TSB official contacted by Seaway News admitted an error was made.
“We issued the deployment notice with an error in it. The Dyna-Mo was not involved. The second tug is LCM 131. We will be issuing a correction shortly,” said John Cottreau.
While the TSB said it’s not known if the incidents are related, it’s clear the tugs were assisting a barge in the river that contains a large crane that will be used in the demolition of the high-level Seaway International Bridge.
Tuesday officials with Nadro Marine said the company is working with the Eastern Canada Response Corporation, Canadian Coast Guard “and all environmental authorities to ensure effective containment and safe removal of the flooded vessel.”
There was residue oil, wood and debris from the initial flooding.
“Environmental mitigation is now the primary concern,” Nadro said in a statement. “We are working with our customer to ensure the work site remains safe and there is no interruption to navigation or impact to other vessels.”
The tug continues to sit capsized in about 15 feet of water in the St. Lawrence River just west of the Cornwall boat launch in Lamoureux Park.
The company said there were three crew members (two aboard the tug and one on the barge) at the time of the incident, however all crew are safe and have no injuries.
Employees of American Bridge, the company tasked with demolishing the bridge, told Seaway News at the scene Monday that the powerful current of the river played a major role in the incident.
Dan Murphy, project manager for American Bridge Canada in Cornwall, said in an interview Tuesday salvage plans are being worked on and added demolition of the bridge over the river will be delayed.
“We’re still trying to figure out what happened,” he said.
Murphy added that the barge currently moored in the middle of the river against a torrent of fast-moving water is not in danger of moving.
The barge, which contains a crane, is being held in place by what he called a “spud” – a lengthy piece of pipe that has been sunk into the bedrock beneath the bottom of the river.
Additional personnel and equipment has been dispatched to the site, including the tug Seahound to assist in oil response operations.
McKeil Marine has been engaged for the salvage operation.
Cornwall police Const. Dan Cloutier added the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of the Environment are sending representatives to the scene.
Check back often for updates.
SALVAGE TIMELINE
It’s anyone’s guess as to how long it will take to get the pair of stricken tugboats righted and moved away from Cornwall – but it’s not expected to happen quickly.
J.J. Brickett, a superintendent of environmental response with the Canadian Coast Guard, said third-party salvage teams must prepare plans that require government approval before proceeding.
In this case the coast guard and Transport Canada must sign off on any salvage plans, he said.
McKeil Marine, the sister company of Lac Manitoba owner’s Nadro Marine, has been retained for salvage operations for this incident. They are presumably still assessing the stiuation, including the size of the rigs and speed of the water, before presenting a plan of action.
Shawna Smith, a spokesperson for Nadro, said police are not allowing salvagers into the area for the moment.
