Environmental Emergency Management Program

Nestucca Barge Oil Spill


Shoreline clean-up of oil from the Nestucca barge

 

Click to view full-size imageLocation

The collision occurred approximately 3 kilometres off the coast of Washington, near Gray’s Harbor. Oil came ashore
in discontinuous patches mainly in Canada on Vancouver Island - from near Victoria in the southeast to near Cape Scott in the north.

Time and Date of Incident

December 23, 1988 in the early morning.

Product/Quantity Spilled 1

An estimated 87,4000 litres (5500 barrels) of Bunker C oil.

Cause of Spill

The tug Ocean Services rammed and holed its tow - the tanker barge Nestucca - off Gray’s Harbour, Washington.

Environmental Setting and Impacts

The prevailing winter winds drifted the spilled oil along the scenic west coast of Vancouver Island in BC. Numerous beaches were oiled and many sensitive shoreline ecosystems suffered damage. Reports indicated that as many as 56,000 seabirds were killed. Many crab and shellfish populations were oiled in addition to herring spawning areas. Traditional native fishing practices were affected due to the contamination of the shoreline.

Response Participants:

Responsible Party 2

  • Sause Brothers Ocean Towing Co.

Lead Agencies 3

  • Federal: Canadian Coast Guard
  • Provincial: Ministry of Environment
  • First Nations: Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council

Primary Participating Contractors and other Agencies

  • Burrard Clean Operations
  • Environment Canada
  • Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Response Summary/Closure

There was no attempt made at open water recovery by Canadian or U.S. authorities. High seas and currents

precluded the use of containment booms. An inter-agency response to the incident helped to reduce the damage caused by the spill. An outcome of the Nestucca oil spill - and the Exxon Valdez spill that occurred 3 months afterwards - was the development of Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Teams. These teams assist in the process of assessing and recommending cleanup/treatment and/or constraints for each shoreline unit affected and also determine end-points for cleanup. The internationally used and proven Incident Command System (ICS) was adopted by the Ministry of Environment – and by 1995 for the province - as the incident management organization for spills and other emergencies.

News Releases and Information Bulletins

N/A

Footnotes

1. Conversions

1 barrel = 42 US gallons = O.16 cubic metres
1 cubic meter = 6.29 barrels = 264 US gallons = 1,000 litres
1 tonne = 7 barrels
1 nautical miles = 1.85 kilometers
Note: volume and mass relationships vary with density of product.

2. Responsible Party  

Responsible Party (RP) refers an agency or company taking responsibility for impact mitigation (e.g. cleanup, response management) as a possible consequence of their actions or that of a third party. Generally referred to as either the spiller or polluter.

3. Lead Agencies

Agencies that have jurisdictional (federal, provincial, local governments, and First Nations) or functional (Fire, Police, Ambulance) command roles in managing the incident. The designation of the lead agency may be based on legislation, an interagency agreement, a Cabinet decision and/or custom or precedent. There can be more than one lead agency represented under a unified command, as well as the Responsible Party.