Oil Leak Was From Bec And One Other Source
By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Electricity Corporation executives met with government officials and a team of biological engineers from the United States yesterday morning after it was discovered that fuel from the corporation’s Clifton Pier facility was leaking along the coastline.
According
to Environment Minister Ken Dorsett, the fuel from BEC was mixed with
oil from another source that began spilling into canals near Stuart
Cove’s Aqua Adventures and Albany last week.
He said the government’s main focus is on containing the oil.
During
an address in the House of Assembly, Mr Dorsett said an inspection of
BEC’s plant on Sunday revealed that not only was fuel being discharged
from one of the facility’s outfalls, but it also revealed that BEC’s
containment booms were not preventing all of the fuel emitted into the
marine environment from spreading.
“Initial
reports indicate that on Wednesday of last week, Stuart Cove’s
discovered an extraordinary amount of fuel in the canal area of their
operations and the dive sites they use off the southwest coast of the
island of New Providence. Initial reports also indicate that Albany also
reported fuel in the water and coastline of their property. On Thursday
past it was reported to the port controller that there was a smell of
oil and an oil slick seen in the Clifton area,” he said.
He
said that on Sunday the Royal Bahamas Defence Force took members of the
National Oil Spill Committee along the coastline to inspect the marine
environment.
“I
also inspected the outfalls of the BEC Plant, the BEC containment booms
in Clifton Bay and Stuart Cove’s on Sunday morning,” Mr Dorsett said.
“The BEC containment booms were not preventing all of the fuel emitted
into the marine environment from spreading. It also appeared that fuel
was being discharged from one of the outfalls. An inspection of Stuart
Cove’s facilities, revealed evidence of fuel discharge in their canal,
along the coastline and on the bottoms of their vessels.
“This
morning (Monday) two biological environmental engineers from Coastal
Systems International arrived in Nassau. A briefing meeting was held at
the Ministry of Works at 8:30 am for all government stakeholders and
advisors, including officials from BEC. As we speak, the government’s
response team and our environmental consultants are inspecting the
relevant properties, including BEC’s Clifton Pier Plant.”
Mr
Dorsett said all relevant parties and businesses in the industrial area
will be engaged in discussions with the government over the next few
days to assess and confirm the source or sources of the oil spills as
well as the extent of the contamination of properties in the area,
including the Clifton Heritage Park.
The consultants will also advise the government on the best way to mitigate and remediate the oil leaks.
This latest spill comes after a significant quantity of oil washed ashore on Adelaide Beach.
The
oil found at Adelaide Beach is suspected to have been dumped by a
passing ship, according to Aviation and Transport Minister Glenys Hanna
Martin, who addressed parliament on the matter.
Last
month BEC Executive Chairman Leslie Miller also denied that BEC’s
Clifton Pier plant was the source of the oil. Mr Miller explained at the
time that if the oil came from BEC’s plant it would have “run in the
opposite area” near Jaws Beach away from Adelaide.
July 07, 2014