The Canadian Coast Guard assesses an oil spill at the port of Sept-Îles
A Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) helicopter flew over the area around the wharf at the port of Sept-Îles on Wednesday morning to assess the situation.
The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) received a report of an oil spill in the port of Sept-Îles on Tuesday.
The leak took place near the fishermen's basin, indicates the CCG.
Hydrocarbon residues were still visible Wednesday on the surface of the waters of the port of Sept-Îles.
The amount of oil spilled is estimated at between eight and 115 liters, according to CCG Deputy Superintendent for Response and Readiness in the St. Lawrence, Eric Esclamadon.
I know these numbers represent a lot of room for manoeuvre, but they are mathematics, so there are uncertainties, he explains.
“The amount of hydrocarbons in Sept-Îles does not seem huge even though the surface covered on the water is very large. »
— Eric Esclamadon, Deputy Superintendent for Canadian Coast Guard St. Lawrence Response and Readiness
Estimates the spill occurred Monday evening or on the night between Monday and Tuesday.
Even if the origin of the hydrocarbons remains unknown for the moment, Eric Esclamadon suspects that the accident is due to a refueling of a ship given the location.
CCG teams have been at the wharf in Sept-Îles since Wednesday morning to assess the situation.
A helicopter flew over the area around the wharf.
Martin Beaudin, a shipping agent with DH Marine, reports that a strong smell of gasoline emanated from the wharf earlier this week.
One of my colleagues even smelled a fairly noticeable odor a few hundred meters away, he says.
“This smell is quite rare. I would say it's the first time I've smelled it since I've been working in the area. ”
—Martin Beaudin, shipping agent for DH Marine
For his part, André Boudreau, a fisherman from Sept-Îles, also saw gasoline in the wharf waters. He considers that this spill could tarnish the image of fishermen in the region. He recalls that there are several solutions to help fishermen empty the bottoms of boats in the event of a spill.
André Boudreau is a fisherman from Sept-Îles.
The CCG's senior communications advisor, Émilie Proteau-Beaulieu, confirms that there is still pollution in the waters of Sept-Îles, but in less quantity than on Tuesday. A contractor is mobilized and carrying out the recovery, she says.
A Canadian Coast Guard environmental response team is currently on the dock.
< p class="e-p">Eric Esclamadon adds that the team does not intend to leave the area until the cleanup is complete. It ignores the time needed to complete the operation.
