1G -— Friday, July 30, 1995 ~

EMERGENCY-RESPONSE members are shown on the deck of a barge used in a simulated barge-

North Shore News

ship accident involving a chemical apiil near Lighthouse Park.

arge accident exercise reveals

room for response improvement

THE: BARGE Hyak King
was en route to a Vancouver
Island pulp mill when it col-
‘ lided with a grain ship dur-
ing poor weather.

"; By Anna Marle D'Angelo
_ News Reporter’ |

_ The collison took place at about”
10am. ‘in the shipping ‘lane |
southeast of Lighthouse Park, off
‘Point Atkinson near: West Van-

oz» The. barge: sustained a two-foot
{0.6 metre) tear in its outer hull,
‘The. ‘barge carried® a. common
mix’. of cargo _inchuding © caustic
‘soda '-in:' the 'yessel’s ‘ below-deck-’
tanks. Oni deck: were four chlorine
‘rail ‘cars along: with: two’ sulfur’.
“dioxide, : ‘three vsulfuric. acid. and ©
one: ‘hydrogen’ ‘peronide-filled rail

“TF ‘esponse exercise,

cracked causing a small stream of
caustic soda to flow out and mix
with sea water.

In addition, sulfuric acid leaked
out of a small hole in one of the
rail cars.”

There also appeared to be some
chlorine gas leaking, probably
from a chlorine car.in the centre
track of the barge’s bow.

~The preceding did not really
" oceur, but it could happen.

That’s why , an emergency
response exercise with the code
‘mame - Transcaer Marine, played
out the scenario on July 13.

“So we have quite.a mixture

‘Jeaking. Beyond that,: the chemical

soups-mixing already could impact
on ithe other rail cars if left. to
their own devices,” said Gary
. Calder, North Vancouver District
: Fire. Services (NVDFS) ‘chief
training officer. :

He: estimated that 50. people:
;teok:: part in

Among the many emergency

the . emergency.

services, industry asid community
organizations involved were:

® Canadian Coast Guard

@ Pacific Marine Training In-
stitute

@ Ports Canada Police, Van-
couver Port Corp. (Harbor
Master) -

@ BC Ambulance Services

@ NVDFS

@ CanadianOxy, Marsulex,
Cominco’. and . Shell Canada’s
TEAP (transportation. emergency
assistance program)

@ Rivtow Marine (barge towing

‘ company)

© Burrard Clean

® Transport Canada

@ the Provincia! ‘Emergency Pro-

gram

@ Environment Canada.
CanadianOxy organized the ex-

- ercise.. The event cost an estimated
$40,000 ‘and ‘took: 3% hours to

complete. .
CanadianCxy.. supports. a team

‘that responds . to chiorine spills

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:. Progressive Conservative -

» Candidate

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