Transport Canada has stated that it has “no regulatory concerns” with the proposed marine operations for Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline. Transport Canada issued a statement saying that it had completed its review of the proposed tanker traffic that would sail through waters off the north coast of British Columbia to take crude from the Alberta oil sands to markets overseas in China. The CAD6.6 billion project would involve an additional 250 oil tankers coming in to Kitimat annually which would involve increased monitoring by Transport Canada.
The statement outlined that though residual risk will exist with any project, that following their review of the studies and taking Enbridge’s commitments into consideration, they have not identified any regulatory concerns for the vessels, vessel operations, navigability, proposed routes, other waterway users and the marine terminal operations that will be associated with the vessels supporting the project. The report countered First Nations opposition that fear oil spills that could possibly be caused by tankers sailing through narrow coastal channels causing ecological harm, by stating that the proposed routes for shipping are appropriate for the vessels that will be used at the terminal and that there are no charted obstructions that would create a safety hazard to fully loaded tankers.