Baker Lake fuel spill caused by hose malfunction, company says

This week’s fuel spill in Baker Lake happened while workers were discharging kerosene for a client, says the company that owns the tanker involved in the incident.

Residents of Baker Lake were briefly cut off from their water supply as a result of the spill from tanker Kivalliq W, owned by Coastal Shipping Limited.

The Canadian Coast Guard initially estimated that the spill was 200 litres, but Coastal Shipping has revised that estimate to 50 litres.

“(The) ship’s crew had checked the hose at 6 a.m. and determined that the fuel discharge was proceeding normally,” said Roy Osmond, chief operating officer of Woodward Group of Companies, and Annes Lind, general manager of Coastal Shipping Ltd., in a joint statement to Nunatsiaq News.

“Fifteen minutes later, they detected a drop in pressure and immediately stopped the discharge operation. Upon inspection, it was determined that the hose had chafed on rocks at the shoreline.”

The company is cleaning up the area and has laid a boom to absorb the fuel. 

“It’s believed that the quick action to contain the spill will prevent fuel from entering the local water supply,” Osmond and Lind wrote in their statement.

Nunavut’s Health Department tested the water, has said it’s safe to drink, and will continue to monitor the water for safety.

There have been a number of spills in Baker Lake over the past several months. 

A diesel spill in June was estimated to be between 600 and 1,000 litres. In April 2025, about 100 litres spilled after a fuel truck operator fell asleep while filling his truck.