Dear Editor,
Re: “Loo forgets who voted” and “Jumping on/off tunnel-bridge merry-go-round,” Letters, Sept. 23.
Vancouver Airport Fuel Facilities Corporation (VAFFC) wishes to respond with corrections and clarifications to assertions in these two letters. Public safety and environmental protection are fundamental priorities for the Vancouver Airport Fuel Delivery Project. The fuel receiving facility tanks, located almost 1,000 metres away from any structures in the Riverport Sports and Entertainment and Waterstone Pier complexes, will be constructed to or exceed the requirements of the National Building Code and the B.C. Building Code.
The facility design and comprehensive fire prevention measures will minimize the potential for accidental fires.
An independent, third-party hazard and risk assessment concluded that a fire occurring in the process area or a tank fire are the potential scenarios for which the response measures should be designed.
Statistically, neither have a probability of occurring over the life of the project. The assessment also calculated that the safe perimeter in the unlikely event of a tank fire is 69 metres, while the response planning safe perimeter is 130 metres from the centre of all the tanks, well short of any residential or heavily occupied properties.
The marine terminal and fuel receiving facility will be manned 24 hours a day, providing immediate response to fires or other emergency situations.
Safety and environmental protection on the Fraser River are also a top priorities. The spill response capabilities for the project will add significant spill response equipment, planning, training, and operational expertise that will benefit all users of the Fraser River.
Three to five vessels are expected to call on the terminal each month to meet current and medium term fuel requirements. This number only increases to six or seven if the requirement for fuel doubles over the long term, due to the increasing use of larger and modern tanker vessels.
The facility will have two response boats which mobilize once a vessel enters the Fraser River, and will be on stand-by for the duration of off-loading to deploy containment equipment if required. The response to any spill would be immediate.
At the terminal, boom and skimmers will be pre-deployed around the vessel to contain and recover a spill in the unlikely event of a release during off-loading.
In addition, certified river pilots, escort tugs and double-hulled vessels will contribute to a very high level of safety.
In the event of a spill, the marine terminal is required to promptly notify the Canadian Coast Guard, and federal and provincial authorities.
The project represents a $100 million investment in the local construction industry and will greatly improve the fuel delivery system to the airport, enhancing its status as a top tier Pacific gateway.
Adrian Pollard
VAFFC
