Fuel spill in St. Lawrence Seaway

A fuel spill at a Montreal refinery could have had severe consequences for the St. Lawrence Seaway, had local residents not noticed a fuel type smell near one of the reservoirs owned by the site.

The spill happened on Tuesday night at the Port of Montreal and originated from the Suncor owned refinery.

Melissa Kent from CBC reported:

"Firefighters were first called to the scene just after 8:30 last night after neighbours called to complain about a strong fuel-like smell,"

The length of the spill was estimated to be 2.5km long before Suncor officials stopped the flow. They fenced the spill using spill containment booms and then collected the fuel by pumping water into the reservoir so the fuel could rise to the top where it was skimmed off using skimming machines.

The spill cleanup is currently being monitored by Environment Canada and Environment Quebec.

Spill booms are the perfect spill containment device to use in instances such as the spill in the St. Lawrence Seaway. The spill can be contained quickly and efficiently and can then be dispersed or collected, minimising the effect on the environment.