Last spring oil found in the waters off Newfoundland was traced to a ship, the Manolis L, which sank in 1985. The Canadian Coast Guard attempted to stop the leaks and no further oil was noted until December, when reports of petroleum odor and oiled birds on the water began again.
In 2013, holes in the Manolis L were plugged with neoprene and a cofferdam was put in place. A cofferdam is watertight temporary enclosure, often used to create a dry space for underwater construction such as pilings for piers. In this case, the cofferdam was used to hold the oil, preventing it from reaching the surface.
In the winter of 2013-2014 rough weather also damaged the bird scarer at the wreck site. Until it can be replaced duck hunters and the public are being asked to notify the Coast Guard when they find oiled birds. The bird scarer will be replaced as soon as weather permits.
The cofferdam, which had shifted, was replaced in January with a new, larger cofferdam. While the Canadian Coast Guard considers this a long-term fixm local citizens continue to press for the oil to be removed from the ship, suggesting that it will continue to be a hazard as there were more than 500 tonnes of fuel aboard when it sank.
In the US, multiple ‘mystery spills’ near San Francisco that impacted thousands of seabirds were eventually traced to a ship that went down in 1953. In 2002, much of the remaining oil from that ship was removed and no further significant impact on birds has been noted.