A diesel truck which sank in the ocean north of Campbell River was finally recovered Friday afternoon.
Guy Adams, owner of Marine Link Transportation which was hauling the truck, says Transport Canada is now investigating.
“There’s a big unaware part here, there’s an investigation from Transport Canada forthcoming,” he said. “The only part we don’t really have determined yet is the ‘why.’”
The truck held 17,000 litres of diesel when it rolled off the deck of a barge during a storm and sank in Chancellor Channel east of Sayward, which contains a rockfish conservation area.
Response team divers checked twice a day since it sank on April 20 to monitor and reduce leaks.
Adams says he estimates about 10 per cent of the fuel leaked into the ocean, with 21 litres at most detected on the surface during the response. The tanks are now on shore and investigators will determine exactly how much fuel was spilled.
He says local First Nations were a crucial part of response and recovery efforts, helping pinpoint the sunken truck and conducting shoreline surveys to monitor environmental impacts.
