Fishermen rescued after boat sinks, spills fuel on B.C. coast

The Western Gambler was carrying more than 7,500 litres of diesel and 1,100 litres of hydraulic oil when it sank, the Heiltsuk Nation said. (Canadian Coast Guard)

The Canadian Coast Guard says four fishermen were rescued Wednesday after their vessel capsized and began leaking fuel on British Columbia’s central coast.

Responders were called around 3:15 a.m. to an area roughly three kilometres south of Bella Bella where the 18-metre aluminum fishing boat sank after reportedly taking on water.

A spokesperson for the agency on Thursday said two coast guard vessels were dispatched to the scene from the Bella Bella lifeboat station.

Images from the scene show the fishboat submerged near the coastline and partially encircled by a yellow spill containment boom.

The coast guard says the spill response equipment was deployed by the Heiltsuk Marine Emergency Response Team, which is operated by the local First Nation, to protect the shoreline and the nearby McLoughlin Bay fish hatchery.

“Mariners who are not part of the response efforts are asked to refrain from transiting the area,” the coast guard said in a social media post.

The Heiltsuk Nation issued an urgent notice to boaters just before 1 p.m. identifying the stricken vessel as the Western Gambler and urging mariners to avoid the area around Napier Point.

The coast guard confirmed the name of the vessel, which Transport Canada’s marine registry says is co-owned by Randolph Enterprises Ltd. and Jim Pattison Enterprises Ltd., with the latter serving as the authorized representative for the craft.

“For safety and liability reasons, we are again asking local boaters to refrain from going around the grounding site,” said the bulletin from the Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department.

“We have had multiple vessels enter the area through the morning, so we are asking, please stay out of the area to allow the response crews ample space to work.”

Diesel, hydraulic oil on board

The vessel had been taking on water prior to the sinking and was attempting to transit to the small port of Shearwater, southeast of Bella Bella, for an “emergency haul out” when it ran aground, the Heiltsuk said in a statement.

The Western Gambler was carrying more than 7,500 litres of diesel and 1,100 litres of hydraulic oil when it sank, the nation said.

“There appears to be some leakage from the vessel, as sheens are being observed in the water around the vessel.”

Additional containment booms were placed around the fish pens at the McLoughlin Bay hatchery as a preventative protective measure, the Heiltsuk Nation said.

Taylor Bachrach, the federal NDP transport critic and MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley, said in a social media post that he is aware of the incident and is grateful no one was injured.

“My thoughts are with these responders as they work to mitigate potential environmental damage from the fuel on board,” Bachrach said.

The Heiltsuk Nation said it is working with the coast guard to remove the vessel and remediate the area.

The organizations have partnered with the Canada Fishing Company, a subsidiary of the Jim Pattison Group, to oversee the salvage efforts.