Vancouver Oil Spill Lawsuits About to Ensue

The Marathassa oil spill from last week is likely to result in several lawsuits as the City of Vancouver has already hired an outside lawyer to pursue damage claims incurred by the oil spill recovery.

According to city manager Penny Ballem, quoted by Vancouver Globe and Mail, the city is determined to get repayment for what it has spent on the response. A potential figure has not yet been disclosed, however; according to Bellem, the ship’s Greece-based owner has a liability cap of USD 28 million.

Brand-new 81,000 DWT cargo ship named Marathassa has been confirmed as the source of the toxic bunker oil spill in English Bay that took place on April 8th, releasing around 3,000 litres of oil into the water.

The ship’s owner Alassia NewShips Management Inc. said that an investigation into the cause of the spill is underway, stressing its commitment to meet all its legal obligations arising from the spill.

According to Coast Guard Commissioner Jody Thomas 90 pct of the recovery operation has been completed.

The Coast Guard informed on Tuesday that there has been no indication of any impact to public health and safety.

M/V Marathassa continues to be cleaned. Other identified vessels have been cleaned as well and crews were double checking them yesterday, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

Estimated quantity of surface oil remains at approximately 0.2L.

Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Team (SCAT) has inspected an area of 64km and identified 6km that is being cleaned Tuesday.

As informed, a wildlife rehabilitation facility has been set up and is operational at HMCS DISCOVERY, Stanley Park.

The Canadian Coast Guard has been fiercely criticized for its “slow” response to the spill.

However, the claims were refuted by Coast Guard Captain Roger Girouard, who said that containing 80 percent of a spill inside 36 hours cannot be called inadequate.

World Maritime News Staff; Images: Canadian Coast Guard