Nanaimo’s public crab fishing dock at Maffeo Sutton Park was closed for about one hour Friday while port authority crews mopped up what appeared to be an oil spill.
Edward Dahlgren, Nanaimo Port Authority director of operations and harbour master, said the decision to close the dock was made after a rainbow-like sheen appeared on the water’s surface at about 12:45 p.m.
“We had a report of product in the water. We call it product when we don’t know exactly what it is – petroleum product,” Dahlgren said. “Our patrol boat investigated and it was showing a rainbow sheen and had strong aroma of solvent.”
Concerned that the substance might be flammable, the decision was made to close the dock.
‘It prevents somebody from standing there smoking … and also it means that if we get a vapour release – because product in the water, sometimes it wells up and you get a big bubble, so you want to clear the area,” Dahlgren said.
The port authority then contacted the Canadian Coast Guard, which directs how to clean up spills. In this case an estimated 20 to 40 litres of product was in the water.
“Our thoughts are that someone threw or lost a container of kerosene or paint thinner and then it drifted down the harbour and eventually flooded, sank and then was releasing,” Dahlgren said.
Crews used five 15-metre long booms and absorbent pads to contain and mop up the spill before it could drift and foul boat hulls or the floats of seaplanes.
Dahlgren said the port authority had to weight safety against convenience in its decision to the close the dock for the time require to clean the spill.
“It’s an opportunity to remind everyone it’s important to ensure containers of petrochemicals or solvents are properly stowed and secured because they do have a negative impact, especially during spawning season, on the marine environment,” Dahlgren said.
Rodney Grounds, port authority manager of marine operations, said bad weather delayed the ROV operation until Sunday when port authority staff surveyed the harbour floor and found no source for the pollution.
“We went down and there was no sign of any containers or anything like that … nothing but crabs and sand,” Grounds said.
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