Communiqués

TSB # R01/2006

UPDATE ON THE TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD OF CANADA INVESTIGATION INTO THE DERAILMENT AND PETROLEUM PRODUCT SPILL NEAR LÉVIS, QUEBEC, IN 2004

(Gatineau, Quebec, 12 January 2006) - The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) provided an update today into its investigation on the derailment of 18 Canadian National tank cars in the marshy area of the Grande plée Bleue, near Saint-Henri-de-Lévis on 17 August 2004.

Examination of the derailed cars did not reveal any pre-existing defects that might have contributed to the derailment. An axle with a shifted wheel and three pieces of broken rail were recovered and sent to the TSB Engineering Laboratory for examination. Examination of these parts revealed that the wheel displacement and rail fractures resulted from excessive stresses during the derailment.

Approximately 200 000 litres of gasoline and diesel fuel from the Ultramar Canada Inc. refinery in Lévis spilled into the marshy area, but the spilled product was recovered. Because of the presence of hydrocarbon fumes, the area within a one-kilometre radius of the derailment site was sealed off for a period of four days. The hydrocarbons that spilled into the ditches and marshy areas were contained by booms and dikes. Two clean-up companies subsequently recovered the hydrocarbons and decontaminated the water and soil.

Soil testing was performed this past summer, but more testing is necessary to better understand the influence of settlements. Since some tests cannot be conducted until the thaw, the investigation team will review the results of the study when available.

Once the analysis of factual information and test results are completed, the draft report will be submitted to the Board for its approval, and then released as a confidential draft report to designated reviewers. The Board will consider the representations of the designated reviewers, and amend the report, if required. At the end of this process, the Board will issue the final investigation report to the public. If at any time during the investigation, the TSB identifies a safety deficiency, it will issue a safety communication as quickly as possible to those most able to address the issue.

The TSB is an independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation transportation occurrences. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.

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A complete copy of the investigation update number R04Q0040 is also available on this site.