On July 24, 2007, a backhoe ruptured the Trans Mountain crude oil pipeline beneath the Barnet Highway, releasing 234,000 litres of synthetic bitumen (synbit). The product began traveling through storm drains that empty into Burrard Inlet. WCMRC was immediately activated and began efforts to contain the spill.
To expedite the deployment of containment boom, WCMRC called a member company, Island Tug and Barge, to begin deploying boom at the at-risk waterfront. When the WCMRC team arrived at the scene shortly after, they double-boomed the area to ensure no oil would escape.
Approximately 100,000 litres of synbit entered the storm drain system and eventually reached the waters of Burrard Inlet. The shoreline cleanup continued for three months and WCMRC monitored the area for 18 months. All told, 210,000 litres of product were cleaned-up, and no long-term impacts have been reported.