VANCOUVER — A tug carrying as much as 22,000 litres of diesel fuel has capsized in the Fraser River between Vancouver and Richmond.
Canadian Coast Guard spokesman Dan Bate says it's unknown what caused the George H. Ledcor tug to capsize early Tuesday near Deering Island, just east of Vancouver International Airport.
Bate says there were four people aboard the vessel and all were rescued by a nearby tug.
The capsized vessel is part of a gravel tug-and-tow operation, but Bate says it was not towing a barge at the time.
While the tug's full fuel capacity is 22,000 litres, Bate says crews are still assessing the total volume of the fuel spill.
The coast guard and Western Canada Marine Response Corporation have laid booms and absorbent pads around the vessel to contain the fuel spill.
Bate says it's too early to know what the impact of the spill will be on the ecosystem, which is at the north arm of the salmon-bearing Fraser River.
The responding agencies include the coast guard, Environment Ministry, City of Vancouver, Musqueam First Nation, Transport Canada and Western Canada Marine Response Corporation, which is tasked with handling fuel spills along the B.C. coast.
