GEORGE R PEARKES
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Oil from Manolis L cofferdam pumped aboard Coastguard ship
On Dec 23, 2013, the Canadian Coast Guard was able to deploy a ROV down to the wreck of the sunken cargo m/v "Manolis L." to see what has caused additional oil to be found on wildlife and the shorelines of the Change Islands region. The CCGS "George R. Pearke" remained in the Change Islands area during the holidays to keep an eye on the oil of the paper carrier, which sank in 1985 near Change Islands. The wreck has been leaking oil since last winter, but there was a more extreme event the past weekend when residents spotted oil in and around the shoal water and on the shoreline. In July, the Coastguard had worked on the vessel to contain the leaking oil. It used a neoprene seal on one part of the hull and a cofferdam on another. The neoprene seal near the middle of the ship, continued to work. The ROV however discovered that a cofferdam which was installed to capture oil from one of the leaks has shifted four to five metres due to sea conditions. The cofferdam can hold 3,200 litres of fuel, but it was not known how much was in it when it shifted or how much leaked out. The immediate focus was to get the cofferdam system — re-evaluate the design — and either modify the one that’s there or to install a new one. The "George R. Pearkes" was to pump the remaining oil from the cofferdam when weather permitted. The Coastguard was working with oceanographers to learn as much as they can about currents in the area so it could apply that knowledge working on the new cofferdam system. As for the oil that leaked, an environmental response crew has been in the area. There was still a small amount of fuel discharging from the original tear in the hull, approximately four litres per day. This oil was non-recoverable and dissipated through wave action. The impact on the shores was minimal.
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