The Editor,
Re: "Coal dust concerns sail into view," News, March 26.
Fraser Surrey Docks is an experienced terminal operator. We've been operating here for more than 50 years, and we understand how important the Fraser River is both ecologically and as a working river.
Safety is our number one priority, and we have a proven track record in safety. The same care and safety that we apply to the shipping of other products at our terminal will be applied to shipping coal.
Our coal handling facilities will be built within our existing terminal footprint, and we are committed to using the best available dust suppression technology for our project.
Coal will be unloaded from railcars within a fully enclosed receiving area and transferred directly onto barges via a covered conveyor system to eliminate dust.
Unlike the other coal terminals in the region, no product would be stored on-site. In addition, railcars supplying our terminal will be sprayed with a protective coating to help ensure no product loss en route.
With respect to marine transport, we contracted Det Norske Veritas, an internationally recognized organization with dedicated risk professionals in more than 100 countries, to conduct a navigational risk assessment of the proposed coal barge operations on the river.
We also consulted with the Fraser River Pilots, Council of Marine Carriers, Lafarge, Transport Canada, BC Chamber of Shipping, and Port Metro Vancouver.
It was concluded that the new barge traffic did not represent any new operational issues or concerns that were not already being conducted or considered on the river.
We see this as an exciting opportunity to strengthen Fraser Surrey Dock's role as a key link in Canada's Pacific Gateway and as an important contributor to our local and provincial economy.
This project will deliver 50 more high-paying jobs to the 250 people we already employ at Fraser Surrey Docks.
Jeff Scott President and CEO Fraser Surrey Docks
