A vessel caught on fire, leaked oil into the water near Lummi Bay
A 60-foot vessel leaked diesel into the water near Lummi Bay after it caught fire and sank early Friday, March 4, according to the state Department of Ecology.
The sunken pleasure craft is polluting water just south of the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve, which serves as protected habitat for marine and intertidal species important to the health of the Salish Sea.
Several Whatcom County fire agencies responded to and extinguished the vessel fire, according to the Department of Ecology. The fire’s cause has not yet been determined, said Jasmin Adams, acting communications manager for the Department of Ecology.
The sunken vessel was still tied to the private dock on Sucia Drive, Ferndale, as of 8 a.m. At that time, an estimated 25 to 50 gallons of diesel had already leaked into the water near Sandy Point. The leaking diesel appears to be coming from the vessel’s tank, and it is unknown how much fuel is on board, Adams said.
The water throughout the inlet where the dock is located has a visible oil sheen, and the Department of Ecology, U.S. Coast Guard and Whatcom County fire agencies were on-scene working to contain the spill.
Phillips 66 was called in to help contain the diesel, since the company has oil spill response resources readily available nearby, according to the Department of Ecology. Phillips 66 operates a refinery in Ferndale.
Responders have not yet observed any impact on wildlife, Adams said. The Department of Ecology hired a contractor who will conduct a shoreline assessment on Friday to determine if any fuel spilled on nearby vegetation.
Eleanor Hines, the North Sound Baykeeper and lead scientist at Bellingham-based RE Sources, commended officials’ immediate response to the spill, but said it is always troubling to see these incidents so close to the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve.
“Oil spills can be very detrimental to wildlife, particularly seabirds and nearshore organisms if they become covered or even just exposed to the oil slick,” Hines wrote in an email to The Bellingham Herald. “Studies have shown that even very small levels of petroleum products can have lasting, potentially fatal, effects on salmon and the smaller forage fish they eat.”
Residents may see a lingering sheen on the water throughout the weekend from oil that is not able to be cleaned up, but it should evaporate over time, Adams said.
A portion of the marina may be blocked off as officials respond to the spill, Adams said.
This story was originally published March 4, 2022 at 12:31 PM.
