Americas News
Vessel Spills Bunkers off Lake Erie
A 730-foot bulk carrier punctured a bunker tank on Tuesday morning while backing into a pier in Toledo, Ohio along the Maumee River, which flows into Lake Erie near the U.S.-Canada border, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The accident occurred just before 8:30 Tuesday, and crew members said they immediately began pumping fuel from the punctured tank into another tank to bring the fuel level below the puncture.
The leak was stopped at about 10:15 a.m., but it is unclear so far how much fuel spilled.
The vessel, the Candian-flagged CSL Tadoussac, owned by Montreal-based CSL Group, was carrying about 27,000 tonnes of iron ore.
O'Brien's Response Management Inc. has been contracted to clean up the spill.
"The Coast Guard is working with O'Brien's Response Management Inc. and our local response partners to mitigate any potential environmental damage to the Maumee River," said Coast Guard Lt. John Adkins, executive officer of Marine Safety Unit, Toledo.
Responders stretched about 800 feet of oil containment boom across the Torco dock slip to contain the oil sheen for cleanup.
No one was injured in the accident, and only minor damage to the dock was reported.
Through its Canada Steamship Lines division, CSL owns and operates 19 vessels that operate on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system, including the CSL Tadoussac, according to its website.
