I am, I am sure, only one of a number of mariners who read and listen to those who debate the issue of increases in tanker traffic and shake my head.
As a former pilot of Very Large Crude Carriers in the Middle East, I would like to put some things in perspective. We are being told that this pipeline will increase our tanker traffic by about seven vessels per week.
Regardless of the number, we need to understand that seven such vessels is but a drop in the water when compared to some waterways of the world, so our risks are minimal. Furthermore, we will have escort tugs and a heightened level of pollution-risk coverage when these extra tankers traverse B.C. waters.
On a recent radio talk show, I listened to someone who was against this extra traffic, and put the arguments that follow in this letter to him. His response was that other areas of the world see passage of tankers through narrow straits, which are international in nature, and no one country has jurisdiction over them.
In fact, the International Maritime Organization governs the traffic-separation schemes. The argument being made was that we in B.C. control what happens in B.C. That argument is flawed by the fact that we share the Juan de Fuca Strait with the U.S., and also by the fact that we already have tanker traffic in Vancouver, as does Cherry Point, near Anacortes, any one of which carries a risk.
The Straits of Dover — about as wide across as the Juan de Fuca at Victoria, sees 400 vessels per day of all shapes and sizes, with rarely an incident of pollution. This is because there are well-defined traffic lanes that are closely monitored. Of course, many of these vessels are VLCC tankers.
The Straits of Hormuz see about 14 VLCCs per day, carrying about three million tonnes of crude oil per day, with no collisions between large tankers that I can recall, because there are well-defined separation lanes keeping vessels at least a mile apart. Think of that volume — about 35 per cent of the world’s seaborne oil daily — and ask how much oil the Trans Mountain tankers will export in a day. It’s a drop in the bucket.
The Singapore Strait sees a few more tankers, about 15 to 17 per day, but also sees a high volume of container traffic. The narrowest point shares jurisdiction with Indonesia, but the traffic lanes are just as controlled/defined — more so than the Straits of Hormuz. There have been incidents here, but there are international salvage services in place that mitigate such risks.
There are, of course, many other narrow bodies of water around the world that see tanker traffic, but it doesn’t have to be a narrow body of water to pose a threat.
I understand that there are risks in almost everything, but consider the fact that it is not only tankers that can cause pollution, but cruise ships, container ships and bulk carriers. Some of these carry thousands of tons of fuel oil, and all can cause a major spill. Are we to ban the cruise ships that add so much to our economy? I think not.
The nation as a whole will benefit from the new pipeline, and local government can only delay, not define, the final outcome. The pipeline will be built.
David Smiley lives in Victoria.
