Coast Guard responding to fuel spill in Vancouver inner harbour

The City of Vancouver says there has been a fuel spill in the inner harbour in False Creek this evening.

According to the municipal government, the spill’s substance near the Burrard Street Bridge is likely diesel and has prompted a response from the Coast Guard, which happens to be located right next to the site of the spill – near the reopened Kitsilano Coast Guard base.

At this time, it is not known where the spill originated from, but the quantity is not recoverable given that it is a thin sheen on the surface of the water and is already dissipating on its own. Diesel is a light fuel and breaks down relatively easily from the sun, wind, and wave action, unlike the heavy bunker oil fuel that leaked from a container vessel last year.

This is the second reported diesel spill requiring Coast Guard action in Vancouver’s local waters this year. The last incident was on April 15.

More on this as it develops…