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Deadly fish virus
Marine PollutionBulletin berthed at the Pioneer Grain Terminal Ltd in North Vancouver on the North Shore of Burrard Inlet. Apparently the ship listed during the night and this caused her bunkers to overflow. A boom was placed around the oil slick to contain it, and a professional oil cleanup firm was contracted to clean up the spill. The 30 000-ton MV Seahope, owned by the Cosmos Shipping Corp. of Manila, the Philippines, was fined $7000 on 25 April 1989 in North Vancouver Provincial Court after its representative pleaded guilty to a charge of polluting Burrard Inlet. The vessel was charged with discharging about 800 1. of intermediate bunker fuel oil into Vancouver Harbour on 14 August 1988. The spill occurred while the freighter was taking on fuel in waters near the North Shore's Neptune Terminals, while waiting to load grain at the Alberta Wheat pool elevator. MIKE WALDICHUK
Coast Guard, four months after the spill and with less than two working months to go, Exxon has completed less than one-third of the job. The company's plans have however been supported by the US Transportation Secretary, Samuel Skinner, the man appointed by President Bush to oversee the clean-up operation. Mr Skinner is quoted as being satisfied with Exxon's performance to date and conceded to the company's view that winter weather could make further operations hazardous after 15 September. According to Mr Skinner, Exxon's non-commital stance towards continuing clean-up in the spring was understandable due to the need to first assess the need for additional cleaning nearer the time. A L E X A N D R A DUFF
Exxon Philadelphia Loses Power Deadly Fish Virus Fish farmers in the US Pacific Northwest and in British Columbia are concerned about the spread of the viral haemorrhagic septicemia (VHS). This deadly virus was found in coho salmon returning to a US hatchery in Neah Bay and in chinook at a hatchery on Orcas Island in the San Juans. Judging from salmon migration patterns, it is likely that fish from those two locations were in Canadian waters, mixing with British Columbia fish during the last year. Scientists believe that VHS could cause untold damage to wild stocks of steel head, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, and to Atlantic salmon in fish farms. They are recommending an intensive eightmonth programme of testing on the British Columbia coast to survey thousands of salmon and trout now held in hatcheries or fish farm pens. MIKE WALDICHUK
Exxon Clean-up Deadline The US oil company Exxon is at the centre of more controversy over the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster following the leaked announcement of the company's plans to curtail clean-up operations at the end of the summer. Exxon intends to cease its operations on 15 September regardless of state and federal government feelings and with more than two-thirds of Alaska's polluted coastline still to be treated. Although Exxon intends to continue monitoring the effects of the spill when Alaskan waters become navigable again in the spring of 1990, clean-up operations will not be resumed. The news brought an angry response in Alaska. The State of Alaska, already planning to bring at least one lawsuit against Exxon, threatened to return to court in an attempt to force the company to provide the financial backing for oil clean-up next year and, if necesary, for further years. To date Exxon's total bill, including $400 m which will be covered by insurance payments, has been estimated at around $1.25 billion although this figure has not been confirmed by either the company or state officials. According to the US 424
On 26 April 1989, just over a month after the Exxon VaMez had gone aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, the 246 m tanker Exxon Philadelphia, fully loaded with Alaskan North Slope crude oil taken on at Valdez, Alaska, was adrift for 12 h, 14 km off Cape Flattery on the northwestern tip of Washington State, near the entrance to Juan de Fuca Strait. She had lost power after one of her boiler tubes had blown. She was en route to a refinery near Anacortes, Washington, just north of Puget Sound in the San Juan Islands area. She had 87 million 1. of crude oil on board. Canada despatched three naval vessels and a tugboat from Esquimalt, British Columbia, to aid the disabled tanker, while the US Coast Guard launched a plane from Astoria, Oregon, and a helicopter from Port Angeles, Washington, to monitor the movement of the drifting vessel. Later in the day, tugs towed the crippled tanker into Port Angeles. The tanker was moored and safely secured in Port Angeles harbour by 0333 hrs Thursday, 27 April. The shipyard anticipated that it would take about a week to make the tanker's engines operational again. MIKE WALDICHUK
West Coast Oil Spill Responses The Premier of British Columbia and the Environment Minister have jointly appointed a special advisor on west coast oil transportation and spill responses. This is Mr David Anderson, who has been involved with oil policy planning and action in many capacities. A series of informal public meetings are being held at towns and cities on the west coast from Prince Rupert to Victoria during June and July. The initiative for the appointment comes partly from the spill off the coast of Washington State last December which drifted north and fouled many west coast beaches in Canada without much warning. Also from the risk of spills from Alaskan and other tanker and oil barge traffic along the west coast just outside Canadian navigational jurisdiction, either in US or international waters. DEREK ELLIS
Coast Guard, four months after the spill and with less than two working months to go, Exxon has completed less than one-third of the job. The company's plans have however been supported by the US Transportation Secretary, Samuel Skinner, the man appointed by President Bush to oversee the clean-up operation. Mr Skinner is quoted as being satisfied with Exxon's performance to date and conceded to the company's view that winter weather could make further operations hazardous after 15 September. According to Mr Skinner, Exxon's non-commital stance towards continuing clean-up in the spring was understandable due to the need to first assess the need for additional cleaning nearer the time. A L E X A N D R A DUFF
Exxon Philadelphia Loses Power Deadly Fish Virus Fish farmers in the US Pacific Northwest and in British Columbia are concerned about the spread of the viral haemorrhagic septicemia (VHS). This deadly virus was found in coho salmon returning to a US hatchery in Neah Bay and in chinook at a hatchery on Orcas Island in the San Juans. Judging from salmon migration patterns, it is likely that fish from those two locations were in Canadian waters, mixing with British Columbia fish during the last year. Scientists believe that VHS could cause untold damage to wild stocks of steel head, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, and to Atlantic salmon in fish farms. They are recommending an intensive eightmonth programme of testing on the British Columbia coast to survey thousands of salmon and trout now held in hatcheries or fish farm pens. MIKE WALDICHUK
Exxon Clean-up Deadline The US oil company Exxon is at the centre of more controversy over the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster following the leaked announcement of the company's plans to curtail clean-up operations at the end of the summer. Exxon intends to cease its operations on 15 September regardless of state and federal government feelings and with more than two-thirds of Alaska's polluted coastline still to be treated. Although Exxon intends to continue monitoring the effects of the spill when Alaskan waters become navigable again in the spring of 1990, clean-up operations will not be resumed. The news brought an angry response in Alaska. The State of Alaska, already planning to bring at least one lawsuit against Exxon, threatened to return to court in an attempt to force the company to provide the financial backing for oil clean-up next year and, if necesary, for further years. To date Exxon's total bill, including $400 m which will be covered by insurance payments, has been estimated at around $1.25 billion although this figure has not been confirmed by either the company or state officials. According to the US 424
On 26 April 1989, just over a month after the Exxon VaMez had gone aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, the 246 m tanker Exxon Philadelphia, fully loaded with Alaskan North Slope crude oil taken on at Valdez, Alaska, was adrift for 12 h, 14 km off Cape Flattery on the northwestern tip of Washington State, near the entrance to Juan de Fuca Strait. She had lost power after one of her boiler tubes had blown. She was en route to a refinery near Anacortes, Washington, just north of Puget Sound in the San Juan Islands area. She had 87 million 1. of crude oil on board. Canada despatched three naval vessels and a tugboat from Esquimalt, British Columbia, to aid the disabled tanker, while the US Coast Guard launched a plane from Astoria, Oregon, and a helicopter from Port Angeles, Washington, to monitor the movement of the drifting vessel. Later in the day, tugs towed the crippled tanker into Port Angeles. The tanker was moored and safely secured in Port Angeles harbour by 0333 hrs Thursday, 27 April. The shipyard anticipated that it would take about a week to make the tanker's engines operational again. MIKE WALDICHUK
West Coast Oil Spill Responses The Premier of British Columbia and the Environment Minister have jointly appointed a special advisor on west coast oil transportation and spill responses. This is Mr David Anderson, who has been involved with oil policy planning and action in many capacities. A series of informal public meetings are being held at towns and cities on the west coast from Prince Rupert to Victoria during June and July. The initiative for the appointment comes partly from the spill off the coast of Washington State last December which drifted north and fouled many west coast beaches in Canada without much warning. Also from the risk of spills from Alaskan and other tanker and oil barge traffic along the west coast just outside Canadian navigational jurisdiction, either in US or international waters. DEREK ELLIS