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Tuesday, July 13, 2010 | 9:58 AM ET
Public security officials say they will be able to contain a bunker fuel spill that shut down the St. Lawrence River Seaway for several hours on Monday night.
The Canada Steamship Lines Richelieu’s fuel tank was punctured when it ran aground around 7:30 p.m. after it lost power near the Côte-Sainte-Catherine lock, south of Montreal.
CSL keeps emergency booms aboard all its ships, and deployed them immediately after the Richelieu ran aground, said Andrew Bogora, a spokesperson for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.
The breach was fixed just after 11 p.m., but an unknown amount of fuel escaped, possibly as much as 200 tonnes, according to SIMEC, another company handling the containment and cleanup.
The spill covered an approximate 500 square metres, forcing emergency crews to shut the seaway and lock as a precaution.
On Tuesday morning, the South Shore Canal and the lock remained closed to support containment efforts around the ship, which is currently tied up on the lock’s approach wall.
The lock acts as a funnel for the crude, explained Quebec public security services spokesman Yvan Tremblay.
“And if you close the funnel, we have a very nice element that will limit any containment spread,” he said in an interview with CBC’s French-language service.
Divers dispatched
A warning about the spill was issued to neighbouring towns, including Candiac, Sainte-Catherine and La Prairie, where public health authorities will monitor their water filtration systems for any sign of crude.
Divers have been dispatched to the site to examine the boat’s reservoir and determine the extent of the damage.
A helicopter is also surveying the area to measure the spill.
The CSL vessel was carrying wheat at the time of the incident. It’s not clear how many people were on board, but the Richelieu usually operates with a crew of 23 workers. No one was hurt in the incident.
About five other ships will be affected by the canal closure.
The cleanup could take several days.
CSL is the country’s largest maritime company. Former prime minister Paul Martin bought CSL in 1981, and handed operations over to his sons in 2003.