Marine Terminal

Marine Terminal

The new Marine Terminal is located on the north shore of the south arm of the Fraser River, at one of the widest and deepest sections of the river. The reconstructed wharf is located in an area that is zoned for heavy industrial use. Its design incorporates best practices, including state-of-the-art mooring and offloading technologies.

The Marine Terminal is designed to accommodate both small barge shipments as well as large overseas vessels based on seasonal YVR fuel demand.

The marine terminal is a designated Oil Handling Facility (“OHF”) under Transport Canada and complies with the standards and requirements of the Canada Shipping Act. The Marine Terminal has a comprehensive Oil Pollution Emergency Plan that incorporates specific response strategies tailored to the river environment. Western Canada Marine Response Corporation is the designated Response Organization in western Canada and provides marine spill response services for both the terminal and shipping companies calling the terminal.

Vessels

  • All vessels are double hulled for optimal safety
  • All vessel movements are guided by tugboats and government-certified marine pilots on the river and at the Marine Terminal
  • All vessels calling on the terminal are pre-screened and vetted through a tanker acceptance program
  • All vessels have Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan, and are required to carry pollution liability insurance

Fuel Transfer

  • Fuel is transferred from vessels to shore using hydraulically operated articulated unloading arms
  • The unloading arms are designed to have flexibility and move with the vessel as winds, tides and currents change and as the vessel rises higher in the water as the fuel is offloaded
  • If the movement of the vessel exceeds the safe range, the fuel transfer process will be automatically stopped and the arms will be disconnected using leak-free emergency release couplings
  • The terminal is equipped with pre-deployed booming.

On-site Spill Response

  • Spill response vessels are deployed upon arrival of a vessel in the river and accompany the vessel to the marine terminal.
  • Before a vessel is offloaded, booms and skimmers are positioned around the vessel to contain a spill in the unlikely event of an accidental release of product onto water, and to recover the product as quickly as possible
  • The response boats are on standby to deploy containment and absorbent booms in the water if required