Salmon farmer Grieg Seafood on the west coast of Vancouver Island is reporting no injuries or pollution after the Ronja Islander, a live fish transport and treatment vessel owned by aquaculture industry service partner Sølvtrans, hit a rock in Tahsis Inlet on March 8.
Tahsis Inlet is located in Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation (MMFN) territory and Nootka Sound.
Recently, in mid-December 2024, Grieg Seafood was responsible for spilling between 7,000 to 8,000 litres of diesel fuel by Lutes Creek in Esperanza Inlet, which is in Ehattesaht/Chinehkint First Nation territory and neighbours MMFN.
The Lutes Creek diesel spill spread throughout Nootka Sound, resulting in temporary shellfish harvesting closures.
According to Grieg Seafood, the Ronja Islander sustained some damage from the March 8 crash, but was able to make its way to the West Coast Marine Terminals in Gold River under its own power.
The distressed vessel called the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Victoria for assistance, and the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) sent a boat, which escorted it to nearby Gold River, states a March 10 news brief on vesseltracker.com.
In a written statement, the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) confirmed there were no injuries and no reported pollution during the transit of the vessel to Gold River. The CCG's Tahsis lifeboat station crew deployed the CCGS Cape Dauphin vessel and the station's fast rescue craft to escort the Ronja Islander.
"The vessel's pump was able to keep up with the water ingress. It is no longer taking on water, as the crew were able to adjust the ballast to raise the damaged area above the water line. The vessel owner will be hiring divers to inspect the hull, and then will determine next steps," CCG wrote.
“We do not at this time know the cause of the accident, but once the investigation has been completed, we will look to learn from this event and do everything we can to minimize the likelihood of a reoccurrence in future" said Grieg Seafood COO Grant Cumming.
“It is regrettable that the incident happened, we are pleased that nobody was hurt and there has been no pollution as a result of the incident,” Cumming continued.
The Transportation Safety Board was made aware of the incident and MMFN says they are getting updates from Grieg Seafood.
“Our understanding is that there isn’t any concern at this time,” said MMFN Chief Maquinna.
Grieg Seafood says there were no fish on board the Ronja Islander at the time of the incident.