Orca Conservancy Responds to Cargo Ship Fire within SRKW Critical Habitat

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On Saturday, October 24th, 2021 the cargo ship MV Zim Kingston caught fire and lost an estimated total of 109 containers due to rough seas from a storm prompting major concerns of an environmental disaster. The MV Zim Kingston, which is currently anchored in Constance Bank near Victoria B.C., was transporting more than 52,000 kilograms of xanthates, including potassium amylxanthate, a reactive flammable material that is spontaneously combustible and toxic to marine life. The fire is said to have been started due to damaged cargo containers that contained the hazardous chemical, burning a total of 10 containers.

Fortunately, the fire was successfully extinguished and all crew is safe, however, the environmental impact of this event is not yet known. This incident is a stark reminder of the very real potential of an oil spill or chemical spill in the Salish Sea. In an event of a spill, there could be severe and irreversible damage to not only the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales, but also the environment, resources, and human safety.

While over the course of the past several years Washington State made important strides in passing legislation (House Bill 1210, and RCW 88.16.190) to increase funding on oil spill preparedness and prevention, we believe more still needs to be done for oil spill prevention and safety, including an increase in industry accountability.

In 2018 the Washington State people voted to repeal Senate Bill 6269 which would have increased taxes to crude oil and petroleum products received by pipeline. Had this bill been maintained it would have opened up revenue for developing a spill response plan, increase vessel inspections to ensure safety and accountability, and require contingency plans in the event of a spill.

Currently, the Washington State Department of Ecology requires all vessels to be held financially accountable for the damages and cleanup of a spill up to a “specified amount”. But our concern is a fine or cleanup bill is not enough to incentivize major industries to do their part outside of the legal mandates. As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” and we believe more legislation needs to be instated to hold the industry accountable and also incentivize them to ensure the safety of the environment and their own crew. We believe funding to provide increased vessel inspections and required contingency plans, as well as holding companies financially responsible beyond a “specified amount” are all necessary actions to increase the likelihood of an environmental disaster.

There is also a concern around the expansion of export terminals and pipelines, including the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 and the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline which will inevitably increase cargo and oil tanker traffic in critical habitat areas, increasing the chances of a spill and environmental disaster. We have been closely monitoring the developments of the two projects and have expressed immense opposition as they pose a major risk to the Southern Resident killer whale population, not only by an increased risk of a spill, but also increased amount of noise disturbance which disrupts their ability to forage.

As we near the upcoming legislative session, we at Orca Conservancy will begin to monitor important initiatives as well as look into introducing legislation to increase oil spill accountability. While we get to work, you can help us in our efforts by signing up to volunteer as part of our Oil Spill Response coalition (must be 18 and older, and able to attend required training), or you can make a donation to support our Hydrophone Project. The expansion of the hydrophone network utilizing AI technology will be a valuable tool in the event of a spill or environmental disaster by aiding responders to the whereabouts of wildlife to either detour wildlife from hazardous zones or locating wildlife for rehab or recovery efforts.

We also want to give a huge thank you to Orca Spirit Adventures, a member of the Pacific Whale Watch Association and whale watch company in Victoria B.C., who are volunteering their time and resources assisting with the salvage operation, transporting supplies to responders, and aiding in the collection of water samples to assess the environmental damage. When people think of commercial whale-watching they don’t always realize how much these businesses can aid in times of environmental crisis.

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