Don McBain in his (Oct. 28) letter about an oil spill concern from the Kinder Morgan project has every one of his facts wrong.
If he reads the National Academy of Sciences January 2016 report, probably one of the most complete and best balanced reports on the behaviour of diluted bitumen (dilbit) spills, he will find that it does not say that dilbit sinks in salt water, but that it “may” or “can” sink in certain circumstances.
For example, at Kalamazoo, Mich., the river was in flood (hence much sediment to which oil tends to agglomerate), and very warm fresh water (which tends to encourage oil sinking). The recent (summer 2016) Natural Resources Canada study confirms this behaviour. Our tankers run in cold salt water.
His claim that an oil company would make a profit from a spill is sheer nonsense. Ask Enbridge after their $1-billion-plus cost to clean up Kalamazoo.
Loaded tankers leaving the Kinder Morgan docks leave at high slack water – little current, high tide. The clearance under the hull is not 1.5 metres, but about 13 m (Chamber of Shipping).
The escort tugs have not two as a crew, but anywhere from two to five, depending on the task and vessel. This, according to my information source Seaspan Marine, is not a change.
I would encourage Mr. McBain to do his own research and not just rely on the anti-oil faction propaganda.
I would also remind residents of three facts that you will never hear from the anti-oil types:
Firstly, in the century-plus of oil tanker operations in B.C. waters – much or most of it before radar, GPS, double hulls, coastal pilot, escort tugs, and so on – the only spill incident from an oil tanker in B.C. waters was a loading accident with canola oil in Vancouver Harbour.
Secondly, there has never been a serious incident with a crude oil tanker in Canadian waters, other than war related. There have been tanker fuel oil spills, the two major ones being on the East Coast decades ago. Thirdly, oil tankers in Canadian waters have been so safe that they ply the Great Lakes, the source of drinking water for several U.S. states and Ontario.
This is no guarantee there will never be an incident, but this does to me suggest it is a bit early to set our hair on fire.
John Hunter
North Vancouver
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