Question Period Note: Environmental Response: M/V Caruso

Environmental Response: M/V Caruso

The safety of mariners and the protection of the marine environment are the top priorities for the Canadian Coast Guard.

The Caruso has been assessed as a threat of pollution and the Coast Guard is taking measures to address the threat of pollution posed by the vessel.

Coast Guard has removed the bulk pollution from the vessel and continues to work with the owner towards a permanent solution to eliminate the threat of pollution.
 

• The Motor Vessel (M/V) Caruso was originally constructed in 1959, and is currently secured in Marie Joseph, Nova Scotia.
• A survey of the M/V Caruso was conducted by the Coast Guard in 2017, and the vessel was found to be partially dismantled, and the presence of black oily fluid was found in the machinery room. An estimated volume of pollutants of 17,100 liters was noted.
• Coast Guard completed an update to the 2017 survey in 2020. This assessment concluded that the Caruso poses a grave and immediate threat of pollution.
• There is clear evidence that there has been no ongoing maintenance on the M/V Caruso by the vessel owner and that the pollution threat identified in 2017 remains.
• There are also security concerns associated with the owner of the vessel due to a history of threats to the public and Coast Guard personnel. As such, no legal engagement or operations will take place until risk mitigation measures are in place to ensure the safety of public and Coast Guard environmental response personnel.
• The location of the vessel in Marie Joseph is adjacent to the eastern shore island’s Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (EBSA), which is recognized as a spawning and nursery ground for many fish species, seals and aggregations of invertebrates.
• On May 8, 2020, Coast Guard issued a direction order to the owner of the vessel, requiring the owner to provide a response plan by May 22, 2020, to immediately remediate the threat of pollution and stabilize the vessel.
• An initial draft of a response plan was received from the owner on May 22, 2020, and a Coast Guard review of the plan determined that it was inadequate.
• On June 1, 2020, Coast Guard notified the owner that key elements were missing from the response plan submitted and requested an updated plan by June 22, 2020.
• Coast Guard received correspondence from the owner on June 19, 2020, however, the required missing elements Coast Guard requested to the draft plan were not included.
• A letter was sent back to the owner by Coast Guard on June 30, 2020, requesting the owner provide an adequate response plan to address the threat of pollution by July 10, 2020. It was noted in the letter that this would be the final opportunity for the owner to submit the required response plan to Coast Guard.
• The owner did not provide an adequate response plan by the July 10, 2020 final deadline.
• On July 22, 2020, a new direction order was issued to stop all work on the vessel by the owner to eliminate the increasing pollution threat. The security concerns remain key issues that the Coast Guard is addressing through internal discussions with partners on next steps related to the owner’s continued non-compliance with the direction order.
• The owner submitted a revised response plan to Coast Guard on August 4, 2020 with additional details to address the threat of pollution posed by the vessel.
• Following a review of the owners revised plan, Coast Guard identified missing parts and advised the owner that he needed to provide these elements without delay.
• The owner submitted the missing elements of his plan on August 28, 2020. Coast Guard continues to work with the owner in the review of the updated plan to address and eliminate the threat of pollution posed by the vessel.
• As the owner was unable to develop an adequate response plan to respond to the threat of pollution posed by the vessel, Coast Guard was on site from January 25 to January 31,2021 and removed approximately 25,000 litres of contaminated water and 10,000 litres of fuel / oil from the vessel.
• In April, 2021, Coast Guard received a report that the owner was continuing to conduct operations on the vessel despite the direction order issued in July, 2020, that prevented operations on the vessel until an adequate response plan was received and reviewed by Coast Guard.
• On April 27, 2021, Coast Guard advised the owner that the section 180 direction order issued in July, 2020, is still in effect and work onboard the vessel is not permitted. At that time, the owner advised Coast Guard that he was working with local salvage company to develop a plan to remove the vessel.
• On July 13, 2021, Coast Guard received a reasonable and appropriate plan from the owner which included a detailed pollution removal plan and dismantling plan. Coast Guard advised the owner they had no objections to the submitted dismantling plan and the direction order preventing work from being conducted was lifted for work contained within the plan.
• Since July 13, 2021, the owner has removed accessible pollutants from the vessel and is currently preparing the site for dismantling operations.
• Coast Guard developed a monitoring plan and continues to conduct weekly site visits to ensure the owner is adhering to the plan submitted.

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