A Review of Marine Recreational Vessel Activities in Burrard Inlet Prepared for: Trans Mountain Expansion Project Prepared by: Valiance Maritime Consultants Limited 6341 Buckingham Drive Burnaby, BC V5E 2A8 August 15, 2014 Executive Summary The Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP) application to the National Energy Board (NEB) to increase capacity on the Trans Mountain pipeline system, with commensurate future increase in the number of tanker calls into Burrard Inlet to load at an expanded Westridge marine terminal, has raised concerns among recreational boaters about the safety of these small vessels. There is a long history of safe marine transportation of oil within Burrard Inlet and, similarly, a long history of recreational vessel use in this area. All mariners are expected to follow established rules for ships and boats that ensure the safety of all mariners. The safety regime in place today for both existing tanker traffic and the operation of the Westridge terminal has been developed and continually improved since the terminal entered service in 1953. The regime is based on regulatory requirements, local experience and international best practices. It is comprehensive, well established, and has proven to be effective. However, data on marine recreational traffic is not collected by or available from authorities. While information on recreational use of Burrard Inlet is provided in MCTRU Technical Report in Facilities Application and potential Project-related effects on recreational use are identified and assessed in Volume 8A, additional baseline information is provided given stakeholder feedback and interest. A review of marine recreational activities in Burrard Inlet shows that while over 5,250 boats may be at moorage within English Bay and Burrard Inlet, there is a seasonal pattern to the use of these vessels. On average, recreational boats spend considerable time at berth. When travelling on the water, these vessels are observed by Radar and Automatic Identification System (AIS), if fitted, by Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) Marine Communications and Traffic Services (MCTS) and other vessels in the area. Several recommendations proposed by Trans Mountain are under review by the Termpol Review Committee that will, if accepted, further enhance the safety of all mariners in the central harbour. This includes demarcation of a shipping route between the Second Narrows and Port Moody, giving a wide berth to the expanded Westridge marine terminal. The dock complex itself will have navigation marks and lights, and the oil spill booms around the vessels will be marked in a similar fashion. This will ensure that all marine users are able to identify the area during day or night and keep clear. In addition, Trans Mountain has requested Transport Canada to expand outreach activities at marinas in order to improve the level of information amongst boaters in order to benefit all users of these waterways. It is concluded that current and already proposed future additional safeguards are sufficient to comprehensively mitigate potential effects of TMEP on marine recreational vessels. Page 1 of 24 Contents Background ......................................................................................................... 4 Method ................................................................................................................ 4 Recreational Vessel Regulations ......................................................................... 5 Recreational Vessel Incidents ............................................................................. 6 Recreational Vessel Activities in English Bay and Burrard Inlet ........................... 8 Recreational Vessel Activities in the Central Harbour .......................................... 9 Observation of Recreational Activities ............................................................... 12 Potential Interaction Between Ships and Recreational Vessels ......................... 19 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 22 References ........................................................................................................ 24 List of Figures Figure 1: Monthly average number of incidents reported to Vancouver MCTS (source - data provided by MCTS, July 2014) ................................................ 6 Figure 2: Observed distribution of recreational vessel moorage within English Bay and Burrard Inlet (source – Appendix 1) ................................................. 8 Figure 3: Fisheries and Oceans Canada sub-areas around Vancouver, BC (source: Fisheries and Oceans, Canada) ....................................................... 9 Figure 4: Yacht clubs and marinas east of Second Narrows .............................. 10 Figure 5: Public parks east of Second Narrows ................................................. 10 Figure 6: Anchorages and private docks east of Second Narrows ..................... 11 Figure 7: Aerial view of an area with private docks east of Second Narrows ..... 11 Figure 8: Eastern Burrard Inlet rockfish conservation area ................................ 12 Figure 9: Observation points around Burrard Inlet ............................................. 13 Figure 10: Observed distribution of boats observed by location (source: Appendix 2) ................................................................................................................. 13 Figure 11: Observed distribution of boats by type and location (source: Appendix 2) ................................................................................................................. 14 Figure 12: Ambleside (July 17 at 8:10 a.m.): 2 motorboats, 1 kayak .................. 14 Figure 13: Ambleside (July 18 at 10:27 a.m.): 5 motorboats .............................. 15 Figure 14: Barnet Marine Park (July 12 at 10:10 a.m.): 1 rowing boat ............... 15 Figure 15: Barnet Marine Park (July 12 at 10:15 a.m.): 3 motorboats ................ 16 Figure 17: Barnet Marine Park (July 17 at 10:45 a.m.): 1 motorboat .................. 17 Figure 18: Cates Park (July 17 at 11:50 a.m.): 2 motorboats, 1 sailing boat under sail ............................................................................................................... 17 Figure 19: Cates Park (July 18 at 9:18 a.m.): 1 motorboat, 1 sailing boat under sail ............................................................................................................... 18 Figure 20: Cates Park (July 18 at 9.50 a.m.): 1 paddle board ............................ 18 Page 2 of 24 List of Tables Table 1: Vessel crossings (both ways) at the entrance to English Bay (2012) and Second Narrows (Source: Volume 8C, Termpol 3.2) ......................................... 19 Page 3 of 24 Background The Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP) application to the National Energy Board (NEB) to increase capacity on the Trans Mountain pipeline system, with commensurate future increase in the number of tanker calls into Burrard Inlet to load at an expanded Westridge marine terminal, has raised concerns among recreational boaters about the safety of these small vessels. As these small boats are most often not fitted with AIS equipment, it is not possible to judge their actual numbers. However, all vessel traffic, recreational or otherwise, is subject to all maritime traffic regulatory requirements, which are designed to ensure the safety of all users of marine transportation lanes. As they do today, operators of small vessels (mainly fishing and recreational vessels), as required by Transport Canada, are expected to continue to follow boating safe practices and the collision regulations, and to apply good seamanship when operating within Burrard Inlet. Trans Mountain engaged Det Norske Veritas (DNV) to complete a quantitative risk assessment (Volume 8C, Termpol 3.15) about the risks posed by increased tanker traffic in the region, to identify any increased probability of an oil spill from a project tanker navigating within Port Metro Vancouver (PMV) and the Salish Sea. Due to the lack of credible data about the movement of vessels not required to carry AIS equipment, the marine traffic simulations could not fully reflect the impact of increased commercial traffic on recreational boaters. DNV did confirm that because collisions with small boats could not cause sufficient damage to a double-hull tanker, there would be no change to the results of the quantitative risk assessment, which confirmed that with additional risk-reducing measures, the probability of a cargo oil spill of any size in the region would remain similar. Potential effects on marine recreation use have been assessed in Section 8A of Facilities Application, Section 4.3.11 Marine Commercial, Recreation and Tourism Use. Based on public and stakeholder feedback, Trans Mountain has elected to carry out a review of marine recreational use in Burrard Inlet to more comprehensively describe use patterns. This information will inform consideration of whether to propose further safeguards beyond those already recommended in the TMEP application. Besides carrying out a detailed assessment of marinas and boating facilities, individuals with seafaring experience were engaged to observe the flow of recreational vessel traffic in Burrard Inlet over several weeks in the summer of 2014. Method Information was sought from CCG, Transport Canada and Port Metro Vancouver about marine recreational vessel use and none of