On April 8, 2015, the grain carrier M/V Marathassa leaked approximately 2,700 litres of bunker fuel into Vancouver’s English Bay. WCMRC vessels and personnel were on-scene within 90 minutes of being activated by the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). The on-water response included the immediate skimming of fuel off the water and booming the Marathassa to contain the source of the leak. Throughout the night, WCMRC continued to recover oil from the water.
The polluter was not willing to act, and CCG assumed command of the response the next day. As lead agency, CCG established Unified Command to direct response operations with key partners, including the province of British Columbia, local municipalities and First Nations. Approximately 1,400 litres of oil were recovered by WCMRC in the on-water portion of the response, which was completed on April 12. Shoreline cleanup operations continued throughout the week.