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The Royal Canadian Navy is investigating what caused a naval ship to leak about 30,000 litres of fuel in the Strait of Georgia.

The HMCS Calgary was performing a fuel transfer in the middle of the strait when it discovered the leak on Saturday. It reported the leak to CFB Esquimalt and Environment Canada.

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The navy has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the spill, said Commodore Buck Zwick, commander of the Pacific Fleet of the Royal Canadian Navy, during a news conference Sunday.

The F-76 fuel floats on the surface of the water and evaporates quickly.

“The fuel response is still in its initial stages,” said the navy’s Maritime Forces Pacific in a statement. “As the situation progresses, it will become clearer as to the timeline for any required spill cleanup.”

It is too early to tell what impact the spill will have on fisheries and marine life, it said.

The Department of National Defence is responsible for the environmental response and clean up. Environment Canada, the Coast Guard, Transport Canada and the BC Emergency Management are also involved.

Harbour Air and B.C Ferries and members of the public are asked to look out for signs of the spill and report them to the Regional Joint Operations Centre at 250-363-5848.

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