2 Study Area
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CA PDF Page 49 of 1038 Energy East Project Part B: Deterministic Modelling of the Ecological and Volume 24: Ecological and Human Health Risk Human Health Consequences of Marine Oil Spills Assessment for Oil Spills in the Marine Environment Section 2: Study Area 2 STUDY AREA The study area for the analysis of hypothetical crude oil spills for the proposed marine terminal is described in detail in Part A, Section 2 of the EHHRA. This section provides an overview. 2.1 Overview of Canaport Energy East Marine Terminal Operations and Expanded Shipping Operations The proposed marine terminal will be located on the western shore of the Bay of Fundy, southeast of the City of Saint John and southwest of Mispec Point, New Brunswick. The marine terminal is proposed to be located adjacent to the two existing Canaport marine facilities: a single buoy mooring (SBM or mono- buoy) for offloading crude oil to the Irving Canaport facility, and the Canaport LNG terminal for import and now recently licensed for export of liquefied natural gas (Figure 1-1). The marine terminal will include pile-supported trestles and breasting/mooring dolphins for two berths that can accommodate Aframax and Suezmax tankers (Berth 2), as well as VLCC tanker types (Berth 1), with capacities of 113,300 to 348,000 m3 (710,000 to 2.2 million barrels). The two berths will be constructed simultaneously. Oil will be pumped from shore via a trestle approximately 645 m long. Berths 1 and 2 will be interconnected by a trestle approximately 380 m long. The marine terminal is expected to receive approximately 281 tanker calls per year for shipping of crude oil products originating from western Canada. The assumed tanker distribution is 70 Aframax, 175 Suezmax and 36 VLCC tankers per year. Only double-hulled tankers will be allowed to call at the marine terminal. Transport Canada chairs the Technical Review Process of Marine Terminal Systems and Transshipment Sites (TERMPOL), a federal government initiative that assesses the safety and risks associated with vessel movements to, from and around Canada’s marine terminals. TERMPOL is a voluntary, extensive technical review process led by Transport Canada that can be requested by proponents involved in building and operating a marine terminal system for bulk handling of oil, chemicals and liquefied gases. Energy East has initiated a TERMPOL review process for the marine terminal. An Oil Pollution Emergency Plan will be developed before commissioning of the marine terminal, as required by Oil Handling Facility regulations under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001. Saint John Harbour has established spill incident response plans and procedures and the spill response and containment procedures for the marine terminal will refer and relate to these existing plans. The marine terminal operator will have an agreement in place with Atlantic Emergency Response Team (ALERT), the certified response organization for the Bay of Fundy. A spill response vessel and equipment will be located on the access trestle between the two berths. The marine terminal will have a response capability for the first 50 tonnes of spilled oil, as required by Canada Shipping Act, 2001. In the event of a larger spill the ALERT response would be activated. Energy East Pipeline Ltd. May 2016 2-1 CA PDF Page 50 of 1038 Part B: Deterministic Modelling of the Ecological and Energy East Project Human Health Consequences of Marine Oil Spills Volume 24: Ecological and Human Health Risk Section 2: Study Area Assessment for Oil Spills in the Marine Environment Energy East will not own or operate tankers. Tanker owners/operators will be solely responsible and accountable for emergency response situations associated with their respective vessels, as required by Canada Shipping Act, 2001. Emergency response for potential vessel-based incidents would be undertaken by the appropriate certified response organization that has jurisdiction at the incident location. 2.1.1 Vessel Navigation within the Harbour Limits The Port of Saint John Harbour limits extend into the Bay of Fundy, from Partridge Island west to Musquash Harbour and south to Cape Spencer. The designated anchorages and pilot boarding areas of the Port of Saint John are also contained within the limits of the outer harbour (Saint John Port Authority 2015), as indicated in Figure 1-1. Although there are three anchorage areas near the marine terminal (Anchorage Areas A, B and D), tankers calling at the marine terminal will use only Anchorage Areas B and D. Pursuant to the Pilotage Act, the Port of Saint John is a compulsory pilotage area managed by the Atlantic Pilotage Authority. Pilotage is the process of directing and controlling the movement of a vessel through nearshore and inshore waters unfamiliar to the ship’s master. Tankers within the design size range for the marine terminal typically require two to four tugs to assist with turning and berthing a ballasted tanker and for departure operations of a loaded tanker. Tug requirements for the marine terminal will be examined through the TERMPOL review process. 2.1.2 Vessel Navigation within the Bay of Fundy Vessel traffic in the Bay of Fundy is monitored by the Canadian Coast Guard’s Marine Communications and Traffic Service. Within the Bay of Fundy, there are two established shipping lanes (Figure 1-1). Inbound vessels are required to use the southeast channel, whereas outbound vessels use the northwest channel in accordance with the traffic-separation scheme. Water depth through the traffic-separation scheme area is consistently deep until the coastal area east of Saint John. The 30 m contour at chart datum is approximately 1 km offshore in the vicinity of the marine terminal. Due to the relatively deep water and wide navigation corridor of the Bay of Fundy combined with the traffic-separation scheme and pilot services for all international vessels and Canadian vessels larger than 1,500 dead weight tonnes, bathymetric hazards to navigation are minimal (DNV GL 2015a). The Bay of Fundy does not freeze, so sea ice is not a factor to consider. Vessels calling at the marine terminal will be required to follow the established network of aids to navigation in the Bay of Fundy, as marked on navigation/nautical charts, Lists of Lights, Buoys and Fog Signals – Atlantic Coast (Canadian Coast Guard 2015a) and Radio Aids to Marine Navigation Handbook (Canadian Coast Guard 2015b). 2-2 May 2016 Energy East Pipeline Ltd. CA PDF Page 51 of 1038 Energy East Project Part B: Deterministic Modelling of the Ecological and Volume 24: Ecological and Human Health Risk Human Health Consequences of Marine Oil Spills Assessment for Oil Spills in the Marine Environment Section 2: Study Area 2.2 Spatial Boundaries The spatial boundaries for the EHHRA deterministic assessment of marine oil spills (i.e., the SAMAM) include the shoreline and waters of the Bay of Fundy from the higher high tide level to the limits of Canadian territorial waters. The SAMAM includes Chignecto Bay and the Minas Basin, all of the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia coastlines of the Bay of Fundy, Saint John Harbour to the Reversing Falls, and a portion of the lower Saint John River. In addition, the United States (Maine) coastline from the Canadian border to Mount Desert Island, as well as some of the waters of the Gulf of Maine (Figure 1-1) are considered, although they are beyond the limits of Canadian territorial waters. 2.3 Human Occupancy 2.3.1 Land Use The SAMAM is bordered by New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and the state of Maine, which have a combined population of approximately 3 million people. However, far fewer people live in the vicinity of the Bay of Fundy. Only Saint John with a population of 70,063 (StatCan 2011) and a number of smaller towns, villages, smaller coastal developments, year-round and seasonal rural residences and cottages border the SAMAM. However, few of these have a permanent resident population greater than 1,000. Figure 2-1 provides information on the size and locations of population centres around the Bay of Fundy. Saint John is an important hub for the Canadian petroleum trade and is home to the Irving Oil refinery. Irving Oil has an existing oil terminal (Irving Canaport SBM) located at Canaport and is adjacent to Mispec Point, the site of the proposed Canaport Energy East marine terminal. The Canaport LNG terminal is east of the proposed Canaport Energy East marine terminal. A variety of other commodities, including refined petroleum products (from the Irving Oil Refinery loading facility in the inner harbour), potash, salt, recyclable metal and bulk cargo, are regularly handled through the Port of Saint John (Saint John Port Authority 2011). North of Mispec Point lie Black Point and Red Head, including the communities known as Anthony’s Cove and Harbourview. The Irving Oil Refinery, the south end of Saint John and the west end of Saint John are about 8 km north or northwest of the proposed Canaport Energy East marine terminal location. Some islands within the Bay of Fundy are inhabited, including Grand Manan Island, Campobello Island and Deer Island in New Brunswick, and Long Island and Brier Island off Digby Neck in Nova Scotia. There are also numerous lesser islands in Canada, and islands along the coast of Maine. The Bay of Fundy is a popular tourist destination because of its exceptionally high tides, coastal communities and marine fish and wildlife. The cruise ship business operates alongside the shipping of commodities, resulting in the annual passage of more than 200,000 cruise ship passengers through the Port of Saint John (Saint John Port Authority 2011). Energy East Pipeline Ltd. May 2016 2-3 CA PDF Page 52 of 1038 Part B: Deterministic Modelling of the Ecological and Energy East Project Human Health Consequences of Marine Oil Spills Volume 24: Ecological and Human Health Risk Section 2: Study Area Assessment for Oil Spills in the Marine Environment 2.3.2 Traditional Land and Resource Use Energy East has undertaken traditional knowledge (TK) studies for the Project.