http://shipandbunker.com/news/am/526205-canadas-west-coast-tanker-ban-unsupported-by-evidence-say-critics
[links in on-line article]
Canada's West Coast Tanker Ban Unsupported by Evidence, Say Critics
Wednesday December 9, 2015
A proposed ban on tankers operating on Canada's West Coast that has been
called for by the country's new Liberal government is not based on
tanker safety data, nor is it an evidence-based policy as was promised
by the new government, local media reports.
Kenneth Green and Taylor Jackson, writing for the Vancouver Sun, argue
that "the actual data on tanker safety would dispel the idea that this
policy is evidence-based."
A study by Canada's Fraser Institute is said to show that, when it comes
to maritime oil spills, Canada has an "outstanding" record, and that the
general safety of moving oil by tankers has been demonstrated and is
improving.
Further, Green and Taylor say that data from Transport Canada show that
there has been just one major oil spill off Canada's West Coast over the
past 20 years, and note that the spill was actually a bunker spill which
resulted from the sinking of a locally operated ferry that was carrying
240 tonnes of fuel, not from an oil tanker.
Globally speaking, large spills - said to be more than 700 tonnes -
declined to an average of two large spills per year in the first four
years of the 2010s, from an average of 24.5 spills in the 1970s, say
Green and Taylor.
Medium-sized spills - which are classified as seven to 700 tonnes - are
also reported to have "declined significantly" from about 54.3 spills
per year in the 1970s to an average of five each year in the first
potion of the 2010s.
"When the broader data on maritime safety and oil transport are
considered, the evidence points to a high degree of safety that has
continued to improve over time," said Green and Taylor, noting the
reduced numbers of accidents come over a period when the amount of goods
being shipped has increased significantly.
Plans for the Northern Gateway pipeline to deliver oil to the west coast
are said to have been killed by the tanker ban, with the risk of a
tanker spill during the operation of the pipeline reported to have been
approximately 0.4 percent during any given year.
"Without a way to increase shipments of Canadian oil to areas of growing
demand, Canada will miss out on the economic prosperity that comes with
developing our resources," argue Green and Taylor.
A "Much Greener" Vision for the Future
However, despite the apparent threat to the country's maritime industry,
in an article published by Canada's MacLean's Magazine, the Vancouver
Fraser Port Authority (Port Metro Vancouver), is said to embrace a "much
greener" vision for the future of shipping and trade that will allow the
maritime industry to thrive alongside the increasing
environmental-mindedness of local residents.
"We've got this triangle of land between the mountains, the
[U.S.-Canada] border and the sea," said Robin Silvester, CEO of Port
Metro Vancouver.
"All these different things need to be accommodated for it to continue
to be a vibrant and sustainable region. If we don't get that balance
right, we're going to have a problem."
Nevertheless, the same article warned the city risked becoming "a
'lifestyle bubble' for tourists and the rich."
In November, Ship & Bunker reported that, in-line with one of its
election platform promises, Canada's new Liberal government had moved to
implement a ban on crude oil tankers along the country's West Coast.
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