Environmental Emergency Management Program

M/V Westwood Anette Oil Spill (Squamish)


Oil leaking from M/V Westwood Anette at Squamish Terminal

Click to view full-size image (PDF 2.1 MB)Location

Squamish dock terminal, just north of Vancouver.

Time and Date of Incident

August 4, 2006 – 15:00 hours

Product/Quantity Spilled 1

Bunker C oil – approximately 29,000 litres (243 barrels)

Cause of Spill

The M/V Westwood Anette, departing under tow from the Squamish docks during high wind conditions, punctured a starboard fuel tank on a metal piling.

Environmental Setting and Impacts

The high winds blew the oil on the shore near the terminal and into the estuary of the Squamish River. The estuary marshes were heavily contaminated, whereas there was only minor oiling up Howe Sound. Several Canadian Geese were oiled. T he high sediment contents of the marine water promoted natural cleaning of both the oil shorelines and marsh grasses. Impact assessment and monitoring continued throughout the winter.

Response Participants:

Responsible Party 2

  • Gearbulk Holding Ltd.

Lead Agencies 3

  • Federal: Canadian Coast Guard
  • Provincial: Ministry of Environment
  • First Nations: Squamish First Nation

Primary Participating Contractors and other Agencies

  • Burrard Clean
  • Quantum Environmental
  • Polaris
  • Canadian Wildlife Service
  • Environment Canada
  • First Nations Emergency Services Society
  • Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
  • RCMP
  • District of Squamish

Response Summary/Closure

The Ministry of Environment was on site to assist with the cleanup of the oil spill and unified command was established with the Responsible Party. Burrard Clean Operations was the Response Organization. Booms and skimmers were used to contain the spill and remove mobile oil. Several Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Teams (SCAT) were activated to assess the level of shoreline contamination. A workforce was established to clean up stranded oil on beaches and in the marsh. Efforts to rescue the wildlife affected were also undertaken. An Environmental Impact Assessment was prepared to gauge the full effects of the spill.

News Releases and Information Bulletins

N/A

Other

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.