The Department of Environment says it has taken measures to prevent oil spillage from a sunken vessel which was discovered in North Sound Estates last week.
The DoE, in a post on the vessel Thursday, said its operations and conservation officers were alerted about the sunken vessel on Wednesday, 3 Jan.
It said conservation officers were in the area at the time and responded immediately to the location where they discovered the large motor trawler almost completely submerged in the canal, along with a light film of fuel on the surface of the water.
“Staff from DoE’s Operations Section were notified and joined the response and the team deployed [an] oil spill boom and secured it around the vessel to contain any leaking fuel or oil.”
The DoE said the boat’s owner had been contacted and efforts were under way to raise the vessel.
The cause of the sinking is unknown at this time, it said.
“Boat owners are asked to be vigilant in checking their in-water vessels regularly, especially during periods of heavy rain,” the DoE reminded.
The department said it will continue to monitor the situation and respond as needed using the tools and techniques learned during its recent International Maritime Organization Level-1 Oil Spill Response Training course.
The five-day course, held last year, was led by Tony Wood, director, National Spill Control School at Texas A&M University; and Scott Slaybaugh, deputy director and Bradley Johnson, research officer, both of the DoE.
Staff from the DoE, Hazard Management Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands Regiment, and the Coast Guard also attended the training.
According to a brief on the course, the DoE remains “the first response agency for marine oil spills”.
“If a significant spill occurs and the coastline is threatened, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) will likely be activated to manage further threats to public health, the environment, and the economy. So ensuring multiple agencies are trained in marine oil spill protocols strengthens our response,” the statement said.
A comprehensive update to the Cayman Islands National Marine Oil Spill Contingency Plan, produced in 2021 by HMCI and DoE, now forms part of the overall National Hazard Management Plan for the Cayman Islands, it added.
Related Videos
