Marathassa Released After Vancouver Bunker Spill
The Cyprus-flagged cargo ship M/V Marathassa — which has been blamed for spilling several thousand litres of bunker fuel into English Bay — has been released by the Canadian Coast Guard.
The vessel headed to a berth in Vancouver Harbour to be loaded with grain before departing on its next voyage. The bulker had been ordered to remain berthed following the spill earlier this month.
"The incident command science and environment teams have concluded that further efforts to remove this ring would necessitate the use of chemicals which was deemed to be unacceptable to partner agencies represented at incident command," the Coast Guard said.
The agency added that when the M/V Marathassa departs, it will also be accompanied by an environmental response vessel in case of further leakage.
Transport Canada has prescribed a variety of measures to ensure the vessel does not further pollute while in Canadian waters. The vessel is able to move on its own power, but is escorted by an environmental response vessel. In the unlikely event of an oil release during transit, this escort will be ready to capture it.