Re: “Tanker trouble,” Feb. 1.

I live on the waterfront in the Sooke Basin, was regional director of Juan de Fuca for a decade and wanted to give an update to your story.

When I was regional director, I had the opportunity to meet Ian Anderson, chairman of Trans Mountain pipeline.

I explained that the one tanker leaving Vancouver per week had tug boats tethered to the tanker for safety, and they released the tanker at Race Rocks to continue its journey.

The expansion of the pipeline would result in a huge increase in tankers, which, for safety reasons, was unacceptable to me and my constituents of East Sooke and the Juan de Fuca.

I told Anderson that I could loudly protest the pipeline expansion, or Trans Mountain could build and operate an ocean-going tug to escort outgoing tankers from Race Rocks to Buoy Juliet. To my surprise, he agreed.

After reading the article, I contacted Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC), which confirmed that “new escort tugs have been operating since the expanded Trans Mountain line when active in 2024.

“The contract is with KOTUG Canada. However, since their newly designed tugs won’t come into service until later this year, the escort has been done by SAAM Smit tugs and occasionally our KG Gardner vessel if seas are very rough.”

I hope this will allow your readers to sleep more soundly, and a huge “thank you” to Anderson.

Mike Hicks

Sooke

Re: “Tanker trouble,” Feb. 1.

The tanker ban over the northern area of Hecate Strait and Dixon Entrance prevents the stopping, loading and unloading of 12,500 tonnes of oil (about 12,780,000 litres).

The article also notes that 10,000 litres of spilled oil will foul an area of 40 square kilometres in the waters of the northern end of Haida Gwaii.

Annually, 600 merchant ships enter and leave the Dixon Entrance to and from the port of Prince Rupert with no groundings. Many of these ships are large container and bulk-loaded ships that carry bunker oil (heavy oil) for propulsion in a large single-hulled tank.

The larger ships carry from 18,000 to 24,000 litres in this tank. These ships are not escorted by tugs, but the tankers are as they leave for open waters.

Therefore, a tanker is much safer than a normal merchant ship. If the northerners want zero oil spills, the only way to achieve that is to close Prince Rupert to all shipping. Does any of this make sense?

Robin Allen

Victoria

Re: “Tanker trouble,” Feb. 1.

The article paints a dark picture for tanker traffic in the Hecate Strait. One has to wonder, however, whether it was properly approached from a risk management perspective.

We are, nowadays, too accustomed to dark pictures being painted that do not reflect reality or the real risks.

How many accidents have there been in the Hecate Strait involving very large vessels? How many double-hulled tanker incidents, and how many with oil spills, have there been globally?

How many such incidents were included in the 112 recent “maritime” incidents study? Has the Enbridge-funded study been properly reviewed?

The other question that is not being addressed anywhere, it seems, reflects the likely destination of the oil — China.

My understanding is that, when Northern Gateway was proposed,........

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