Environmental Response

Development of New Response Strategies

The Canadian Coast Guard constantly seeks advanced ways to enhance response capabilities. One project involved examined the effects of burning large quantities of oil at sea. The Newfoundland Offshore Burn Experiment documented the air emissions of such burns and found that they met health criteria at 50 meters from the fire and were almost undetectable beyond 150 meters. This illustrates that on-site burning can be relatively safe for the environment as well as being more effective, faster and cheaper than some other methods.

An important element of response strategies involves studying the properties of new products to learn how they would react in the marine environment should a spill occur. Knowing this ahead of time allows the response community to develop strategies to respond quickly. One such product is an emulsified tar-like substance being shipped in from Venezuela to fuel a thermal generation plant in New Brunswick. Know as Orimulsion©, it sinks in freshwater and floats semi-emerged in salt water. The Canadian Coast Guard is working with partners such as Environment Canada and the United States Coast Guard to determine its potential environmental impact and develop appropriate response strategies.

(The Canadian Coast Guard conducts extensive R&D into the response of heavy oils such as Orimulsion© and Bunker C oil.)