Hundreds of gallons of oil spill into British Columbia's English Bay



VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — An oily purple-blue sheen has coated the water surrounding a bulk carrier ship in Vancouver, British Columbia's, picturesque English Bay.

An emergency response team was called in Wednesday night to deal with the oil slick.

The substance was originally believed to be bunker fuel, but officials said Thursday they couldn't immediately identify the substance.

The Canadian Coast Guard's Capt. Roger Girouard said samples have been sent to a laboratory for testing.

Girouard told a news conference the spill was contained as of Thursday afternoon. He estimates that nearly 800 gallons spilled and says crews that worked overnight skimmed about 370 gallons from the water.



A red and black ship was surrounded by an orange oil-absorbing boom early Thursday. Several ships with special equipment were seen cleaning up fuel near the vessel.

Girouard said while the spill clearly surrounds the cargo ship, the crew has denied anything was coming from the grain vessel.

Transport Canada is investigating. The ship's owners could not immediately be reached for comment.