Americas News
Canada Stops Oil Leak From Sunken Bulk Carrier
The Canadian Coast Guard has stopped an oil leak from a bulk carrier that sank in Newfoundland's Notre Dame Bay in 1985, local newspaper The Pilot reports.
The coast guard used a weighted neoprene gasket to seal cracks in the hull of the vessel, the Manolis L, along with a one tonne sub sea bulkbag to hold the gasket in place.
After the cracks were sealed, a remote operated vehicle (ROV) did not detect any oil sheen on the water, but the coast guard is continuing to monitor the area using aerial surveillance and will send another ROV around the end of June to make sure there has been no further leakage.
The coast guard began looking into the oil spill after ducks with oil on their feathers were seen in the area in late March and early April, and it determined the source was the Manolis L, another local newspaper, the Telegram reports.
The coast guard set up a voluntary exclusion zone for marine traffic around the area and used booms to try to recover oil.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently said that 36 sunken vessels dating from as long ago as the 1930s represent a danger because of possible leaks of fuel oil and other contaminants.
