CHARLOTTETOWN — The Canadian Coast Guard says there was a fuel spill in Charlottetown harbour earlier this week as a ship was being refuelled, but the extent of the spill remains unclear.
The coast guard issued a brief statement today saying it received a report about a sheen on the nearby Hillsborough River on Sunday afternoon.
Coast guard officials later confirmed fuel had spilled into the harbour as the passenger vessel M/V Ancier was being refuelled.
Spokesperson Isabelle Comeau says the ship's owners hired a spill response organization to place containment booms around the ship.
Earlier in the day, an official with the P.E.I. Environment Department said one of its officers was dispatched to a community on the Hillsborough River east of Charlottetown's downtown.
Spokeswoman Katie Cudmore issued a brief statement saying a complaint came from the community of Mermaid, where the officer later detected the smell of diesel fumes.
She says the coast guard was alerted because the case involves "marine source pollution" in the river.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2024.
The Canadian Press
