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GANNON & COMPANY
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Crude oil in Burrard Inlet Risk Assessment May, 2010

 
 

 

3. Identify the Risks

 
 

 

  • The greatest danger is a spill of an entire load of 500,000 barrels of crude oil (Panamax tankers) or 700,000 barrels (Aframax), or up to 28-million gallons of crude oil washing through our inlets on tidal currents. The Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons.
 
 
 
  
 
  • The highest risk danger point in Burrard Inlet is under the railway bridge, east of Second Narrows, due to narrowness of the channel, shallow channel, and submerged old bridge supports.
  
 
 
 

 

  • The next greatest risk is a partial release of crude oil due to a collision. A 10% loss of oil from a smaller Panamax tanker would release 50,000 barrels, 2-million gallons of crude oil into our harbour and would devastate the region.
  
 
  • “Normal spillage” of crude oil. All oil tanker harbours experience normal spillage. Over time, normal spillage generally exceeds the quantity from large spills, fouling beaches and damaging wildlife.
  
 
Worldwide, normal spillage and large accident spills increase directly with tanker traffic. Burrard Inlet traffic has increased from 34 tankers in 2007 to over 100 per year now. The TMX Expansion now being completed provides a capacity of 300,000 barrels per day (219 tankers per year) and the proposed TMX-2 expansion would increase that to 700,000 barrels per day (at least one tanker per day). This expansion would increase normal spillage and increase the probability of a major accidental spill.