A fuel oil leak forced the shutdown of Michelin North America’s tire plant in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, on Dec. 28.
The leak of an estimated 200 liters of Bunker C oil, used to fuel the plant’s boilers, was quickly contained and cleaned up, reports said.
“There was a small leak of Bunker C oil discovered last night by our 24-hour security team on-site,” a company spokeswoman said. “As soon as the discovery was made, the plant was shut down.”
City and provincial leaders were concerned that the spill may have reached the nearby LaHave River, but officials on the scene said there was no evidence that the oil had pilled directly into or leeched into the waterway.
In addition to its own crews, Michelin hired an outside remediation firm to help in the cleanup. The plant was scheduled for a holiday shutdown as of Dec. 30 and will reopen Saturday as planned.
