Vopak Bulk Fuel Terminal plans made for summer correspondence from North Coast Regional District

The prospect of a Bulk Fuels terminal on Ridley Island
had  North Coast Regional District in a
letter writing frame of mind earlier this summer

There hasn't been much heard of late when it comes to the proposed Vopak bulk fuel terminal project for Ridley Island, with the project still listed as navigating its Environmental Assessment process.

However, the prospect of the proposed development did send North Coast Regional District into letter writing mode over the summer; with the Regional District Chair Barry Pages sending a two page letter to the Federal Transportation Minister Marc Garneau, with Regional District highlighting a few items of concern related to the project.

The main theme of the late May correspondence to the Minister was the "risk of grounding incidents" in the Prince Rupert and surrounding harbour area.

As part of their notes for the Minister,  Regional District made note of what they suggested was the potential of an estimated 450 to 600 large vessels transiting in the Prince Rupert harbour traffic area.

Regional District offered up their view of the process ahead as one that should include an independent expert assessment of the risk posed by anchoring related aspects of the project.

As part of the letter, Mr. Pages observed how "an oil spill resulting from an anchorage area incident, would have exceptionally dire consequences to the community and the environment as a result of the critically important Skeena estuary habitat in the area."

The letter concludes with Regional District recommending that solutions to the issue of anchor dragging in Prince Rupert harbour should be included as conditions to the approval of the Vopak project.

The full letter can be reviewed below:

click to enlarge

Minister Garneau provided for his reply to the correspondence in early July, and he addressed a few of the points raised in the Regional District letter, focusing on the nature of the Vopak Terminal design.

"I would note that the proposed Vopak Pacific Canada Project, if approved and built, is estimating approximately 150 vessels per year at full capacity, depending on customer demand. As the proposed terminal would have two berths, it is expected that the vessels associated with the project would not require anchorages, except under rare circumstances"

The Transport Minister also highlighted some of the current regulations and procedures in place for both the Canadian Coast Guard and the Port of Prince Rupert.

"The Prince Rupert Port Authority and the Canadian Coast Guard have sophisticated technology and safety mechanisms in place to monitor ships in their assigned anchorages within the boundaries of the Port. These organizations have a well-managed process and established communications procedures with vessels for any corrective measures, if required, as well as with Transport Canada, if further action is needed"

On the theme of any potential oil spill situation, the Federal Minister noted for Regional District that the Government of Canada's approach to dealing with potential spills is based on three pillars: prevention, preparedness and response.

Mr. Garneau then reviewed some of the Transport Canada  measures in place towards ensuring that all vessels in Canadian waters comply with the applicable Canadian legislation and international conventions.

You can review the Minister's reply correspondence below:

click to enlarge

The introduction of Regional District interest into the proposed development appears to have come following some recent public presentations from Luanne Roth of the Tim Buck Suzuki Society who earlier this year had appeared at both Prince Rupert City Council and Regional District to raise her concerns over the nature of anchorage issues in Prince Rupert harbour.

The most recent public update on the status of the Vopak project came in June as part of the Port of Prince Rupert's Annual Public Meeting, when Ken Veldman the Port's VP for Public Affairs and Sustainability observed that the Bulk Fuels Terminal on Ridley Island was still undergoing an Environmental Assessment process that began in 2018.

The Port had previously provided some background information on Port safety issues, including the topic of anchorages in the harbour as part of their March  notes on proposed revisions to their Port Information guide.

The twin correspondences of May and July, between Regional District and the Minister were noted as part of the Agenda for the August Regional District meeting, listed on pages 74-77

You can review some of our past notes related to the Vopak project from our archive page here.

For a look at some of the other industrial projects operating or proposed for the North Coast see our archive page here.


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