LNG Canada’s first export tankers arrive in B.C.

xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) territories (VANCOUVER, B.C.) – The beginning of the era of gridlocked tanker traffic in the Great Bear Sea and the Douglas Channel is being marked this week. The LNG tanker GASLOG GLASGOW has been sitting, presumed empty, just outside of Canada’s territorial waters for days, while the PUTERI SEJINJANG has been crossing the Pacific since early June with the announced destination of Kitimat. Each tanker could carry over 170,000 cubic meters of LNG Canada’s first export of fracked gas via tankers off the BC coast.

Coastal communities, and threatened marine life can expect a parade of tankers criss-crossing the winding passageways of the internal sea – as LNG export terminals come online in the coming years more are anticipated, and the situation will worsen without intervention.

Anna Barford, Oceans Campaigner with Stand.earth, said:

“Adding hundreds of LNG tankers each year, both that are making quick trips or lingering off shore, will increase pollution and the possibility of a catastrophic accident, while turning up the volume on noise pollution to the detriment of sea life. Tankers need to be limited in speed, number, and routing before pollution increases exponentially, or a fireball accident occurs.”

Drawing on publicly available information and companies’ own estimates of tanker and tanker voyages numbers, Stand.earth estimates that from all proposed or approved LNG projects the Salish Sea will experience 6,600 tanker voyages, and the Great Bear Sea will experience 36,900 tanker voyages over the lifetime of the currently approved export licenses.

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For a visualization of tanker traffic in the region see here.

For a further background on the threat of LNG Tankers

Contact

Anna Barford, Oceans campaigner – Stand.earth +1 604-757-7029, Anna@stand.earth (Pacific Time)

Arin de Hoog, Communications, Oil, Gas, and Shipping – Stand.earth. +1 613-978-7329, arin.dehoog@stand.earth (Eastern Time)