The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is planning to dredge an inlet in order to be able to accept fuller oil tankers, sparking concern among local environmentalists.
Right now, CBC reported, the Vancouver port can service Aframax vessels that are 80% full due to depth constraints. With the additional dredging, it would be able to accept 100% full Aframaxes, the report said.
According to environmentalists, making it possible for fuller tankers to dock at the port is a risky because of the potential for an oil spill. One ocean researcher told CBC that fuller tankers risk hitting the sea bottom—despite the additional dredging, apparently.
Also, “the risk of dredging to increase oil tanker capacity can have a drastic impact on the environment if there is an oil spill,” Jose Alava, principal investigator for the Ocean Pollution Research Unit at the University of British Columbia, told the media.
The port of Vancouver last year saw a surge in petroleum cargo flows thanks to the completed expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline. The expansion tripled the pipeline’s capacity, boosting oil flows from the east to the west. Earlier this year, Canadian media reported that the port handled a record amount of goods in 2024 thanks to the surge in oil exports. These exports alone soared by 527%.
“Trans Mountain’s expansion coming into operation last May was a significant milestone for Canada and the port, adding export capacity and opening up new opportunities for Canadian producers,” the port authority’s chief executive said at the time.
The expansion raised Trans Mountain’s capacity from 300,000 bpd to 890,000 bpd, but now there’s talk about further boosting this by 300,000 bpd although there are no plans to do it by building a third line, rather considering using drag-reducing agents to ease flows and add more pumps.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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