On luck and a prayer: Beefing up the Haida Gwaii response to accidents

Photo: Jason Drury

Last week, as the disabled cargo ship Simushir drifted closer and closer to Haida Gwaii’s coastline, many Islands residents felt a growing sense of helplessness and frustration. Carrying 500 metric tonnes of bunker fuel and 60 metric tonnes of diesel fuel, as well as 94 metric tonnes of dangerous goods (including almost 34 metric tonnes of goods classified as ‘marine pollutants’), the incident posed a devastating threat to the archipelago’s environment and, by extension, the cultural and social practices of Haida and other Islands residents. While CHN executive and staff worked long hours through the weekend to raise awareness about the situation and to avert the 135 meter ship from a potentially disastrous grounding, many Haida citizens and Islanders were left wondering: what can we do to help?

Calming seas and the perseverance of the Coast Guard vessel crew aboard the Gordon Reid contributed substantially to securing the Simushir. But good luck and good weather is not an acceptable marine emergency response plan for the people who call these islands and surrounding waters home. “It was luck,” Kil tlaats’gaa Peter Lantin said of the incident in an interview with the Canadian Press. “The news coming in was it’s going to hit shore and we have to get ready for that. We were helpless. We were sitting, watching a disaster happen in our back yard.”Now that the container ship has been docked in Prince Rupert, a related but different question has been emerging:

Now that the container ship has been docked in Prince Rupert, a related but different question has been emerging: what can we do to make sure we are more prepared?

Planning for future marine emergency responses is already underway on Haida Gwaii. In June, as part of a regional First Nations-BC Marine Planning Partnership (MaPP) initiative, CHN held a two-day workshop in Gaauu Old Massett that focused on a better understanding of response preparedness for the archipelago. CHN invited key people and organizations for discussions about developing Geographic Response Plans (GRPs) for Haida Gwaii in the event of oil spills. Marine response specialists Stafford Reid and Graham Knox led the workshop which was attended by provincial employees, CHN staff, and local people currently involved in marine response.

The BC Ministry of Environment is the lead provincial agency for marine emergencies related to the spill of hazardous materials (excluding oil, which in marine areas is federally regulated). The ministry is expected to direct the on-site response to a spill in cooperation with other jurisdictions, including First Nations, local governments and the party responsible for the release of hazardous materials. Together they form a body called the Incident Command Post (ICP). The party held responsible for a spill is usually the ship-owner, who is also responsible – in principle at least – for paying all costs related to the emergency response and subsequent restoration work.But what happens immediately after a marine emergency is identified? The Canadian Coast Guard has the initial responsibility for responding if there is potential for loss of life or vessels. If there is a risk of oil pollution an ICP is established and response management teams assemble and deploy. This may take several days. Response times in more remote areas with capricious winter weather – such as Haida Gwaii – may not be adequate to prevent a disaster from occurring. This was made clear last weekend, when the Canadian tug boat

But what happens immediately after a marine emergency is identified? The Canadian Coast Guard has the initial responsibility for responding if there is potential for loss of life or vessels. If there is a risk of oil pollution an ICP is established and response management teams assemble and deploy. This may take several days. Response times in more remote areas with capricious winter weather – such as Haida Gwaii – may not be adequate to prevent a disaster from occurring. This was made clear last weekend, when the Canadian tug boat Barbara Foss arrived over twenty-four hours after the announcement that the Simushir had lost power and was drifting towards Gaawgaay.ah Gowgaia Bay. Geographic Response Plans come into play after a serious vessel casualty such as a grounding, sinking or collision that results in an oil spill. Typically a GRP contains a map that highlights priority areas for protection as well as the locations of key resources such as barges and booms. It also contains contact information of local people who are able and willing to assist in responding to a marine emergency by contributing either local knowledge, equipment, or help with logistics. Rapid and effective on-the-ground response is an important outcome of an up-to-date, tested, and comprehensive GRP. In turn, a rapid response can help reduce the threat and impacts of a spill.

Geographic Response Plans come into play after a serious vessel casualty such as a grounding, sinking or collision that results in an oil spill. Typically a GRP contains a map that highlights priority areas for protection as well as the locations of key resources such as barges and booms. It also contains contact information of local people who are able and willing to assist in responding to a marine emergency by contributing either local knowledge, equipment, or help with logistics. Rapid and effective on-the-ground response is an important outcome of an up-to-date, tested, and comprehensive GRP. In turn, a rapid response can help reduce the threat and impacts of a spill.A GRP is an effective tool for initial responses to marine emergencies such as oil spills because the plans are developed at the local scale with attention to specific places and people. This can include the availability of equipment, human capacity, and expertise about local environments and geographies. For instance, Haida Gwaii’s proximity to several notoriously volatile bodies of water presents specific risks to marine-vessel traffic and, by extension, the marine environment.  Local knowledge and values also inform the development of response plans by identifying important areas (like near-shore communities and salmon habitat) and providing information about local waterways and conditions.

A GRP is an effective tool for initial responses to marine emergencies such as oil spills because the plans are developed at the local scale with attention to specific places and people. This can include the availability of equipment, human capacity, and expertise about local environments and geographies. For instance, Haida Gwaii’s proximity to several notoriously volatile bodies of water presents specific risks to marine-vessel traffic and, by extension, the marine environment.  Local knowledge and values also inform the development of response plans by identifying important areas (like near-shore communities and salmon habitat) and providing information about local waterways and conditions.

Currently, no GRPs have been developed for the North Coast region.  One deliverable of the Marine Planning Partnership initiative is to help communities in the planning area, including Haida Gwaii, understand and define the nature and scope of GRPs. In turn, the Haida Gwaii Marine Plan has identified the development of GRPs for Haida Gwaii as a priority action. The workshop in June started the conversation; however, development of GRPs will require the knowledge and support of Haida citizens and Islands residents.

GRPs are only one part of a much larger marine response picture. Systems to prevent marine casualties in the first place, such as proximity of ocean rescue tugs to shipping routes, are essential. Other response requirements in the event of a spill include practice drills and exercises, communications plans for notifying communities, environmental damage assessments, and post-incident reviews. However, developing GRPs for Haida Gwaii in consultation with Haida citizens, Islands residents, local governments and stewardship groups will bring us closer to being able to take action should a near-disaster like the Simushir incident occur again.

Note: The original version of this article, which also appears in the December 2014 edition of Haida Laas, stated that there are no GRPs for the Pacific North Coast region. While it is true that there are no finalized GRPs for the area,Haida Laas notes that the Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC), which is charged with mitigating oil spill impacts on the Pacific coast, is currently in the early stages of developing GRPs for the North Coast. WCMRC has done some initial logistical groundwork specific to the Haida Gwaii marine area and the corporation expects to be back on Haida Gwaii in 2016 to finalize two GRPs for the archipelago in consultation with the CHN, local governments and Island residents.