* 'Confusion', 'miscommunication' slowed Vancouver fuel spill response: report

[Introductory note: Very reassuring, the "world class" spill response we have been assured of by the corporate and government proponents of exporting Alberta bitumen by tanker! Among other points, consider the excuse offered by the Coast Guard for the delay  -  that the guity ship did not admit it was the source of the oil. ] 

VANCOUVER - Misunderstandings, uncertainty and technical difficulties slowed the emergency response to a toxic fuel spill in Vancouver's English Bay by nearly two hours, a review has found.

The review released Friday also found that Canadian Coast Guard staff were unsure of their roles and a faulty provincial alert system meant the city was not notified until 12 hours later.

"The MV Marathassa incident was an operational discharge of a persistent fuel oil with high consequences," said report author John Butler.

"The response was delayed by one hour and 49 minutes due to confusion of roles and responsibilities, miscommunications and technology issues."

The report was commissioned by the coast guard after a malfunction on the grain carrier MV Marathassa caused about 2,700 litres of bunker fuel to spill into the bay on April 8.