Queen of the North Fuel concerns still on the front burner

Gary Coons, the local MLA for the North Coast is not letting the issue of possible fuel still aboard the sunken Queen of the North disappear from public view.

With BC Ferries claiming that they have done all that they can to clean up the fuel issue, Coons is still pressing with his concerns hoping to get someone to pay attention to the needs of the residents of Hartley Bay.

The MLA suggests that if BC Ferries has no plans to remove the fuel, they should at least be making plans to assist the small community to deal with any fuel that might begin to contaminate their waters.

The Daily News featured all of the MLA's concerns in Friday's paper.

Fuel may be on sunken ferry: MLA
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Friday, June 29, 2007
Pages one and five

Despite claims by B.C. Ferries that it has done all it can to clean up fuel on the sunken Queen of the North, new documents show there could still be fuel on board and suggest B.C. Ferries is ignoring recommendations from the Canadian Coast Guard to protect the community of Hartley Bay.

"The Canadian Coast Guard made a number of important recommendations which would help mitigate the environmental impacts of the sinking, but B.C. Ferries continues to drag their feet on implementing them," said Gary Coons, the MLA for North Coast.

"The people of Hartley Bay depend on a clean environment, and it's the responsibility of B.C. Ferries to look after the effects of the sinking. The only tangible thing they've done thus far is to put in a small park."

In documents obtained by the Daily News, the Canadian Coast Guard made numerous suggestions to B.C. Ferries based on a report by the London Offshore Consulting report.
In a letter to B.C. Ferries dated April 16, 2007, the Coast Guard recommends designing and implementing a long-term environmental monitoring program, to examine the effects of further contamination by fuel oil from the ferry, investigating the possibility of relocating aquaculture sites and establishing a cache of pollution response equipment at Hartley Bay.

B.C. Ferries has already stated it will not take any further action to remove any remaining oil from the vessel despite earlier promises by B.C. Ferries CEO David Hahn that all the remaining fuel would be removed.

B.C. Ferries has pointed to one report, called the Queen of the North Environmental Monitoring Review, claiming it is likely most of the diesel fuel dispersed in the days that followed the accident.

However, the London Consulting Group report submitted to the Canadian Coast Guard states it is likely the impact of sinking forced fuel throughout the vessel and the amount of fuel onboard "remains unknown." It is just as likely that the diesel remains on board as it is that it was dispersed.

While a fuel recovery effort might not be successful, the report does recommend mitigation plans, in case further fuel should surface.

Given there is a 50/50 shot fuel could remain onboard the vessel, Coons questions why B.C. Ferries is not helping the community of Hartley Bay prepare for any additional fuel release as suggested by the Canadian Coast Guard.

There was an estimated 200,000 litres of diesel fuel on board the vessel that now sits at the bottom of the ocean near Gil Island, at a depth of 427 metres.

"The first choice of the people of Hartley Bay is to have all the fuel removed from the Queen of the North; unfortunately B.C. Ferries has already ruled that out," said Coons.

"But they should take some steps to ensure there will be no long-term environmental damage as a result of the sinking."

B.C. Ferries has been pointing the finger at the Canadian Coast Guard for its decision not to pursue any further oil recovery efforts, however the Coast Guard is clearly not comfortable with suggestions that all the oil is gone.

In a letter to B.C. Ferries dated May 1, 2007, David Snider, acting assistant commissioner for the Canadian Coast Guard Pacific Region, tells B.C. Ferries to stop telling people the Coast Guard's conclusions are the reason B.C. Ferries is not undertaking an oil recovery operation.
Snider expresses concern that these statements could be misinterpreted and make the Coast Guard liable for any future damage that could occur.

"For the record, we respectfully remind you that according to the Marine Liability Act, B.C. Ferries Services is solely responsible for this incident and is liable for any damage that could occur," writes Snider.

B.C. Ferries received $67.9 million in insurance compensation for the sinking of the Queen of the North. Of that compensation $20 million was earmarked for salvage and clean-up operations.