Sunken Vessel Gibson's Harbor

Last updated on April 5, 2023

DISCLAIMER: Information provided is based on reports received by Emergency Management B.C. Information provided is considered to be current at the time of posting, but is subject to change as new information becomes available.

Incident Description

Incident Date June 13, 2020 
Name Sunken Vessel Gibson's Harbor (DGIR: 200294)
Source Vessel 
Nearest Community Gibson, BC 
Spilled Content Diesel
Who is involved? Transport Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Coast Guard, B.C. Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Strategy (ENV)

 


Response Phase Detail

The responsible person or spiller is legally required to clean-up or manage the clean-up of a spill. In incidents where the responsible person is unknown, unable or unwilling to manage the clean up, the Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Strategy (ENV) may assume the role. The updates below reflect the Ministry’s oversight of the spillers’ actions; details describe the spill response phase, only, and not the complete lifecycle of the spill. See More Information for other related reports. 

Updates are in reverse chronological order, with the most recent at the top. Industry-specific language may be explained in the Glossary of Terms (PDF).

Most Recent Update

June 17, 2020 - 4:30 pm

The vessel was raised from the water and secured to a barge with a containment boom as of 6:30 pm on Tuesday, June 16th. Crews removed 300 gallons of diesel and water mixture from its fuel tank and the vessel is scheduled to be towed to Shelter Island tonight. All material has been removed and there is no visible sheen inside or outside the containment.

No further updates expected at this time.

June 13, 2020 - 4:10 pm

On June 13, a wooden tug vessel sunk in Gibson's harbor. The owner of the vessel has retained contractors to contain the vessel and mitigate potential pollution and salvage. The harbor authority has deployed absorbent boom to contain the visible sheen on the surface of the water. Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) arrived on scene this evening to undertake a site assessment.

Notifications have been made to First Nations and local communities. 

An Environment Emergency Response Officer (EERO) is monitoring the incident. 

Further updates will be provided as information becomes available. 

Contact information

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