Sinking of tug prompts rethink of disaster response: minister

A sunken tug and the subsequent diesel spill on British Columbia’s central coast is prompting a rethink to emergency response that could allow those closest to the disaster to take the lead, says the federal indigenous affairs minister.

Carolyn Bennett told a Assembly of First Nations gathering at at the Songhees Wellness Centre on Admirals Road that her government has promised to work should-to-shoulder with the Heiltsuk First Nation in the waters and on the shoreline off Bella Bella that have been soiled by the fuel spill.

But she said sometimes helping might mean stepping back.

“This is about respect and not swooping in and doing something that we think is right. It is about listening to the nation and working with them,” the minister told First Nation leaders.

The Nathan E. Stewart tug was pushing a barge on Oct. 13 when it ran aground and later sank.

It was carrying more than 200,000 litres of diesel, 2,400 litres lube oil and nearly 3,700 litres of water, oil, sludge and other engine-room contaminants called dirty bilge.

Bennett said that in the future, being ready for such events will mean having locals prepared.

“To have First Nations as first responders is going to be hugely important. And they’re ready, willing and able. We’ve just got to get on with it,” she told reporters after her speech.

She said sometimes helpers show up who end up distracting the process when the community could just get on with the cleanup.

Heiltsuk Chief Marilyn Slett said Monday that the spill is certainly a cautionary tale when it comes to preparation involving coastal First Nations.

She said they are just now assessing the impact in the area.

“It’s an area rich with resources and ultimately a lifeline for our community,” she said, adding that she watched a humpback whale swim through a fuel slick on her most recent fly-over of the spill.

Also on Monday, the Pacific Pilotage Authority announced new measures for pilots on boats transporting petroleum cargo products.

The American-owned tug involved in the spill had been granted a waiver by the authority that allowed it to transit in Canadian waters without a Canadian marine pilot.

New rules tighten restrictions on waiver holders specify that ships must have two people on the bridge at all times, and subject every ship to random checks.

“The lesson learned from the Nathan E. Stewart incident and the measures introduced today will help us increase the safe, reliable and efficient marine pilotage of B.C.’s coast waters for certain vessels,” said Kevin Obermeyer, CEO of the pilotage authority, in a statement.

A situation report issued Monday said two tanks containing oil or contaminants from the submerged tug off the coast of the Great Bear Rainforest were either torn open or severely damaged when the vessel ran aground.

Despite bad weather that has complicated salvage efforts, divers were able to check the bottom of the tug that sits in nine metres of water in a channel about 500 kilometres north of Vancouver.

A joint situation report issued by the tug’s owner, the federal and provincial governments and First Nations groups involved, said divers found the lube tank torn and pumped out nothing but water on Sunday from the severely damaged bilge tank.

Tug owner Kirby Offshore Marine said it hopes to drain the vessel’s fuel tanks and use a crane to lift it onto a barge for removal from the area.

Contaminants from the tug prompted an almost immediate closure of bivalve shellfish fisheries in Seaforth Channel and Gale Passage.