Americas News
Trudeau Tanker Ban Targets Bunker Shipments on Pacific Coast
Canada's Trudeau government Friday proposed new legislation that would limit bunker shipments and other oil products at some of the country's Pacific Coast ports.
Specifically, the proposed ban would prohibit oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tonnes of crude or persistent oils as cargo from stopping, loading or unloading at ports or marine installations from the Canada/U.S. border at Alaska to the point on British Columbia's mainland adjacent to the northern tip of Vancouver Island, according to the government statement.
Bunker C fuel oil was specifically named as an example of a product targeted by the ban.
"The Government of Canada is committed to demonstrating a clean environment and a strong economy can go hand-in-hand. Tabling this legislation is another step towards fulfilling our promise to formalise the tanker moratorium on British Columbia's north coast," said Marc Garneau, Canada's Minister of Transport.
However, as Bloomberg points out, a majority of the existing tanker traffic travels south of the proposed ban zone, leading some to suggest the move is more about political pandering.
With public attention seemingly still on an April 2015 bunker spill in Vancouver's English Bay, British Columbia's provincial election last week also saw the Green Party gain a significant uptick in support.
