August 2, 2010
Vessel traffic on the Seaway’s South Shore Canal resumed at approximately 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 15, said the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC). This was four days after the canal closed due to a fuel spill. Operations resumed after a successful effort to clean up the navigation channel.
At the time navigation resumed, a total of 17 vessels were queued to transit the canal with the backlog expected to be cleared on Friday. A series of booms continue to isolate the banks of the canal from the navigation channel which, combined with a reduced rate of speed imposed temporarily on all traffic, ensures that efforts to remediate the banks continue to advance smoothly.
On Monday at approximately 7:30 p.m., the Canada Steamship Lines bulker Richelieu lost engine power. Efforts to bring the vessel to a halt resulted in a fuel tank being punctured, triggering the release of a quantity of fuel into the canal. Prompt action by the vessel’s crew in the initial deployment of booms and by Seaway operating staff in sealing the lock at Cote Ste. Catharine halted the current within the canal and ensured the spill remained in the immediate vicinity of the vessel. Federal agencies and the clean up contractor, ECRC, attended the scene and initiated a rapid remedial action plan.
Environmental impact from the spill has been limited. Waterborne oil has been removed through pumping and vacuuming operations. The oil washed to the banks has, for the most part, not been absorbed, since the banks of the canal consist of man-made rock termed “rip-rap” and remains accessible for cleanup. A small number of birds were soiled and attended to by specialists. Efforts are underway to remediate and restore the local environment.
“We are satisfied with the actions carried out by our emergency response team,” said SLSMC president and CEO Richard Corfe. “We regularly engage in emergency response exercises with stakeholder agencies and the effective response to this incident provides tangible proof that, collectively, we were up to the challenge. We commend the Canadian Coast Guard, Environment Canada, Transport Canada and all of the other federal, provincial and civil authorities engaged at the scene for their efforts.”
|