Cleanup underway after oily spill in waters near Nanaimo, B.C.

NANAIMO — British Columbia’s Environment and Parks Ministry says an oily spill in waters near Nanaimo on Vancouver Island involved hundreds of litres of an unidentified substance that originated at a commercial waste disposal operation.

The ministry says in an email that the B.C. government was notified Monday of the oil sheen in the waters between Duke Point and Mudge Island, just south of Nanaimo.

A flyover by Transport Canada’s National Aerial Surveillance aircraft then reported that the sheen measures between 350 and 1,600 litres.

The province says investigators identified the source of the spill as a commercial environmental waste operation, where the material flowed through a culvert in Nanaimo into the sea.

Booms have been set up to stem the outflow, and the province says no additional material has been found outside of the containment area since.

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The cleanup process is underway, and the ministry says it will continue to monitor the situation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 8, 2025.

The Canadian Press