Burrard Inlet News

Marine services and towage firm KOTUG Canada Inc., a partnership between KOTUG International and Canada’s Horizon Maritime Inc., has won a long-term agreement with Trans Mountain, operator of Canada’s only oil pipeline servicing the West Coast of Canada providing tidewater access to foreign markets for Canada’s petroleum resources. KOTUG Canada will provide escort towage to tankers loaded at Westridge Marine Terminal. "KOTUG Canada was selected for this purpose by shippers on the Trans Mountain Pipeline after a rigorous and competitive process facilitated by Trans Mountain.

Island Tug and Barge, a subsidiary of Tidewater Canada, said that its  second new articulated tug barge (ATB) push tug Island Regent entered service at the end of June pushing the double hulled refined petroleum products barge, ITB Reliant.The West Coast's largest bulk transporter of refined petroleum products said that the vessel was christened June 20th at Island Tug’s facility in Burrard Inlet and is the second of two, twin Z-drive, ATB push tugs for service on the West Coast of North America.Constructed at Island Tug’s Annacis Island Shipyard in British Columbia and completed by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders in Washington State…

The ownership of the Canadian firm Island Tug and Barge has changed with the purchase by the U.S. parent company Tidewater Inc. The firm is now known as Island Tug.The second tug, with the hull and superstructure completed and with the Cummins K38s installed still requires more work, was also launched in early May of 2018.The vessels were built in a warehouse on the Fraser River. With no launching facility and a railway track between the yard and the steep bank of the river, it took some innovative heavy lifting.

Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC) launched their newest oil spill response vessel in Burrard Inlet. The boat, named after former employee George Penman, was christened at a private ceremony in Coal Harbour. The $4.5 million G.M. Penman is a 65-foot Ocean Class Oil Spill Response Vessel (OSRV) built by Rozema Boat Works in Washington State. It is only the fifth vessel of its kind in the world with sister vessels operating in Santa Barbara servicing the offshore production platforms off the California coast.

British Columbian officials on Friday criticized the Canadian government's response to an oil spill in the waters around Vancouver, calling into question plans for new crude oil export pipelines in the Pacific Coast province. Nearly 3,000 liters of oil spilled after an anchored bulk carrier began leaking bunker fuel in English Bay, just west of Vancouver's downtown core, on Wednesday. Officials in the province said the coast guard responded but was slow to contain the slick, which spread towards beaches. They said the federal agency failed to notify the cities of Vancouver and West Vancouver until early Thursday, delaying public safety warnings by more than 12 hours. "It took them six hours to get booms in place ...

Port Metro Vancouver said on Thursday that operations had resumed at most port facilities shut down by a shipping container fire the day before, but that its Centerm container terminal was still closed. The chemical fire, which prompted a massive emergency response late on Wednesday and shut down a large portion of Canada's biggest port, continued to smolder at the container yard just east of downtown Vancouver. "Fire officials have isolated the fire and continue to monitor the container," said Port Metro Vancouver spokesman John Parker-Jervis in a statement, adding that there is an 100 meter (330 feet) exclusion zone in place around the burning container. He added that operations had resumed at all other port facilities on the south shore of the Burrard Inlet.

A large portion of Canada's biggest port was shut down on Wednesday after a chemical fire broke out amid numerous shipping containers piled up in a yard east of Vancouver's downtown core. The toxic smoke forced local residents to take shelter inside, while workers at Port Metro Vancouver and in the surrounding area covered their faces with scarves as they streamed out of their offices. By early evening, firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control and residents were allowed to leave their homes, though people were warned to stay away from the port. "Smoke is lessening, but people are encouraged to stay away from the fire area," the City of Vancouver said on its official Twitter account.

A chemical fire at a Vancouver container terminal led to a partial evacuation of Canada’s largest port for several hours Wednesday afternoon, as a cloud of white smoke drifting over the city prompted health warnings and road closures, says Canadian Press. "All south shore of the Burrard inlet port operations have been shut down, including rail and truck access," said Port Metro Vancouver spokesman John Parker-Jervis in a statement. The burning container contains trichloroisocyanuric acid, a hazardous organic compound commonly used as an industrial disinfectant and bleaching agent, he added. The Port evacuated its Centerm terminal, which is operated by DP World Vancouver, and nearby port properties.

Port Metro Vancouver official John Parker-Jervis informed that the program is already launched. The monitoring stations will provide information on noise for a five-year period, from 2015 to 2020. The port want to identify the problem areas and use the information to find what can be done in terms of mitigation. He said the system will be able to determine how much noise in an area could be attributed to port operations compared to other community noise sources. Noise complaints have shown a steady increase since 2009.

The Honorable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, along with the Honorable Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Minister of National Revenue, on behalf of the Honorable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, today announced infrastructure investments that will strengthen the border, improve marine container inspection capacity and improve efficiency at Port Metro Vancouver (PMV). "Our government's top priority remains the economy and creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity in every region of Canada," said Minister Fast.

According to a Sept. 29 report from BIV Business Today, a new set of state-of-the-art tugboats will ply the waters of Burrard Inlet next year, Seaspan International Ltd. announced. The North Vancouver company recently signed a contract with Turkey’s Sanmar Denizcilik Shipyard to build four ship assist tugs, the largest build commitment of a single class of vessels for the company in more than three decades. Vancouver-based naval architects Robert Allan Ltd. designed the RAstar 28m tugs. (Source: BIV Business Today)

Allied Shipbuilders of North Vancouver, B.C. delivered the new patrol vessel Takaya to Vancouver Port Authority (VPA) – its first new patrol vessel in 10 years. The vessel’s namesake is attributed to the First Nations people who inhabit Burrard Inlet. Designed by Robert Allan, Naval Architects of Vancouver, under the direction of Hans Muhlert, the new vessel is representative of an investment ensuring that the VPA is able to offer the utmost in services to its clients on an ongoing 24-hour a day basis. Equipped to handle the VPA’s normal duties of inspecting ships calling in the Port, as well as pollution response, the vessel will have search and rescue, and VIP harbor tour capacities.